platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute flattened body (as of ice or a mineral)

especially : a minute colorless disklike body of mammalian blood that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte

Examples of platelet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Healthy bone marrow constantly supports your bone renewal and produces red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets. Diseases that affect bone marrow include leukemia, polycythemia vera, and aplastic anemia. —Gagandeep Brar, Verywell Health, 14 Feb. 2025

Ginger may also support healthy blood flow by reducing platelet aggregation (the clumping of blood cells that can constrict blood flow, leading to blood clots). —Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 10 Feb. 2025

The dangerous cold, multiple snowstorms and California’s devastating wildfires have caused an emergency shortage of platelets and some blood types at the American Red Cross. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025

There is an emergency shortage of platelets, and types O negative and B negative blood. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing platelet

• blood platelet

Kids Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: one of the tiny colorless disk-shaped bodies of the blood of mammals that assist in blood clotting

Medical Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute colorless anucleate disklike body of mammalian blood that is derived from fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm, that is released from the bone marrow into the blood, and that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte