hemocyanin

noun

he·​mo·​cy·​a·​nin ˌhē-mō-ˈsī-ə-nən 

: a copper-containing respiratory pigment in the circulatory fluid of various arthropods and mollusks

Examples of hemocyanin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers also weighed the crabs without their shells and measured their levels of hemocyanin, a molecule that carries oxygen in the blood. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 Mar. 2015

Zorrilla’s experimental antiobesity vaccine consists of ghrelin molecules chemically linked to hemocyanin, a protein extracted from the keyhole limpet marine snail. —Jessica Snyder Sachs, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2012

Crabs with more hemocyanin have better aerobic endurance, which might help them when fighting a rival. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 Mar. 2015

The protein, hemocyanin, is a key ingredient in the skin cream that Patrick Breeding, 27, and Amber Boutiette, 29, distribute from a bare-bones, former steel factory on the outskirts of Portland. —Brian MacQuarrie, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022

Their equivalent to blood is hemolymph, a mostly clear fluid that contains small amounts of hemocyanin. —Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2019

Consider hemocyanin, which is so widely used among invertebrates. —Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2019

The scientists discovered that gribbles use hemocyanins to attack the strong bonds of lignin. —David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 5 Dec. 2018

Octopuses, lobsters and horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin, which means blue blood. —Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 20 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary hem- + cyan- + -in entry 1

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hemocyanin

• anthocyanin

Medical Definition

hemocyanin

noun

he·​mo·​cy·​a·​nin

variants or chiefly British haemocyanin

ˌhē-mō-ˈsī-ə-nən 

: a colorless copper-containing respiratory pigment in solution in the blood plasma of various arthropods and mollusks