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

Blood tests can also measure red blood cell count to diagnose anemia, a sign of internal bleeding from the perforation. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 29 Dec. 2024

Likewise, during some pregnancies, genetic differences in the fetus, such as on red blood cells, can trigger alloantibodies that cross the placenta and attack fetal organs and tissues. —Johnson & Johnson, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Sure enough, blood tests showed that hemoglobin and red blood cell count were both up by 4 percent by the end of the last breath-hold. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024

Therefore, hemagglutinins have the ability to cause red blood cells to clump together. —Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

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