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

Therefore, an easy to way to measure and monitor this damaging effect is when glucose combines with the proteins in the hemoglobin of red blood cells. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 24 Oct. 2024

Cancer in the liver interferes with the normal processing of bilirubin, which is made from the breakdown of red blood cells. —Julie Scott, Msn, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024

Iron helps to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through our red blood cells. —L'oréal Blackett, refinery29.com, 20 Sep. 2024

For example, polycythemia vera causes the body to make too many red blood cells. —Elizabeth Millard, Cpt, SELF, 15 Aug. 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