red blood cell

noun

variants or less commonly red blood corpuscle or red cell or red corpuscle
: any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and in mammals are typically biconcave disks which lack a nucleus and cellular organelles and are formed from nucleated cells of the red bone marrow

Note: The number of red blood cells ranges from four to six million in each cubic millimeter of normal human blood. The red color of blood is due to the presence of hemoglobin within the red blood cells.

called also erythrocyte

compare white blood cell

Examples of red blood cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 is needed for red blood cell formation and to support nerve cell function. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 These dogs develop hemolytic anemia, which is a low red blood cell count that causes various health complications and even death. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 The treatment, called exa-cel and made by the companies Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics, edits a gene involved in red blood cell shape and function. Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023 Each was roughly 600 nanometers long by 200 nanometers wide — about 50 times narrower than a red blood cell. Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023 These include an erythrocyte sedimentation rate test, which measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a test tube, and a C-reactive protein test, which looks for a protein produced in the liver when inflammation is present. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2023 This can lead to the body producing red blood cells that are either too large or non functioning. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 Allium vegetables contain oxidizing agents that, in dogs, destroy red blood cells and make it so their organs don't get enough oxygen. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 First-line immune defenders, like neutrophils, need to be replaced after just four to eight hours, platelets can last a week, red blood cells up to four months, and some white blood cells, like memory B cells, live for decades. Megan Molteni, STAT, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red blood cell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of red blood cell was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near red blood cell

Cite this Entry

“Red blood cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20blood%20cell. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

red blood cell

noun
: a reddish cell of the blood that contains hemoglobin and carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

Medical Definition

red blood cell

noun
: any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of vertebrate blood

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

compare white blood cell

More from Merriam-Webster on red blood cell

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