Dictionary

surfactant en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /səɹˈfæktənt/

Etymology

Blend of surface-active + agent.

Meanings

1. A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.
   • Dr. Khorana added that this is especially true of cleansers that feature surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, as this class of ingredients can cause “dryness, irritation and eczema.” 2023 December 6, Jessica DeFino, “Too Many Products Can Stress Out Your Skin. Here’s How to Scale Back.”, in The New York Times:
2. A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.
   • It is conceivable that impairment of surfactant proteins is due to rheological and immunodefensive disorders of testis and epididymis or prostate. 2015 November 25, “Expression and Localization of Lung Surfactant Proteins in Human Testis”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:

Forms

Deriveds

antisurfactant · prosurfactant · surfactantless · nonsurfactant · cosurfactant · biosurfactant · surfactantlike · fluorosurfactant

Synonyms

tenside

Translations (45)

cmn 表面活性劑 /表面活性剂 (surface active agent) · cmn 界面活性劑 /界面活性剂 (surface active agent) · fr mouillant (surface active agent) · cs tenzid (surface active agent) · de Benetzungsmittel (surface active agent) · de Netzmittel (surface active agent) · fi tensidi (surface active agent) · it surfattante (surface active agent) · es surfactante (surface active agent) · es tensoactivo (surface active agent) · fr tensioactif (surface active agent) · fa ماده فعال سطحی (surface active agent) · tr sürfektan (surface active agent) · pt surfactante (surface active agent) · bg повърхностно-акти́вно вещество́ (surface active agent) · de Detergens (surface active agent) · es tensioactivo (surface active agent) · sl omočilo (surface active agent) · de grenzflächenaktiver Stoff (surface active agent) · it tensioattivo (surface active agent) · ar عَامِل سَطْحِيّ (surface active agent) · fr surfactant (surface active agent) · cs surfaktant (surface active agent) · th สารลดแรงตึงผิว (surface active agent) · vi chất hoạt động bề mặt (surface active agent) · ja 肺表面活性物質 (lipoprotein that facilitates gas transport in the lungs) · ru пове́рхностно-акти́вное вещество́ (surface active agent) · kk беттік-активті заттек (surface active agent) · pt tensioativo (surface active agent) · sv surfaktant (lipoprotein that facilitates gas transport in the lungs) · pt tensoativo (surface active agent) · it surfactante (surface active agent) · fr surfactif (surface active agent) · sv surfaktant (surface active agent) · fi pinta-aktiivinen aine (surface active agent) · fi surfaktantti (lipoprotein that facilitates gas transport in the lungs) · de Dispergiermittel (surface active agent) · pl surfaktant (surface active agent) · ko 계면활성제 (surface active agent) · ja 界面活性剤 (surface active agent) · sv tensid (surface active agent) · de Tensid (surface active agent) · fi surfaktantti (surface active agent) · tr sürfektan (lipoprotein that facilitates gas transport in the lungs) · pl surfaktant (lipoprotein that facilitates gas transport in the lungs)