What does SABIN mean?

Parts of Speech

Noun

Definitions

• a unit of acoustic absorption equivalent to one square foot of a perfectly absorbing surface.
• a former unit of immunological activity of a vaccine, equal to the amount that will produce a standard reaction in the skin.

Pronunciations

• US: /ˈseɪbɪn/
• UK: /ˈsæbɪn/

Origin and Usage

The word "sabin" is named after Albert Bruce Sabin, the American medical researcher who developed the oral polio vaccine. It was first used in the 1960s to measure the amount of immunological activity in a vaccine. The unit is no longer in use, but the term "sabin" is still used in acoustics to describe the absorption of sound.

Synonyms

None

Related Words

• basin
• sable
• samba
• tabby
• tabun

Example Sentences

• He calculated the sabin value of the room to determine the amount of acoustic absorption needed.
• The vaccine had a sabin unit of 10, indicating a strong immunological response.