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

Besides pain medications to relieve symptoms as well as antibiotics to treat infections, hydroxyurea—a bone marrow suppressive agent that decreases red blood cell production—can be used to reduce the frequency of painful episodes. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

Cottage cheese can also help increase red blood cells and improve gut health.14 Cottage cheese lacks fiber and is usually unflavored. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 4 Dec. 2024

It's found in two red blood cell proteins: hemoglobin and myoglobin. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 26 Nov. 2024

Suggesting that profits are somehow bad or unethical is like saying that breathing or making red blood cells is bad. —R. Edward Freeman, Fortune, 26 Nov. 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