Also found in: Dictionary, Encyclopedia.
Related to haptene: incomplete antigen
hapten, haptene, haptin (hap′ten″) (hap′tĭn) (hap″tēn) [Gr. haptein, to seize]
A substance that does not act as an antigen or stimulate an immune response on its own but can do so when combined with an immunogenic carrier molecule.
a small-molecular-weight either inorganic or organic molecule that alone is not antigenic but which when linked to a carrier protein, e.g. albumin, is antigenic; the antibody so produced will react with the hapten alone.