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apheresis

American  
[uh-fer-uh-sis, af-uh-ree-sis] / əˈfɛr ə sɪs, ˌæf əˈri sɪs /

noun

  1. Also the loss or omission of one or more letters or sounds at the beginning of a word, as in squire for esquire, or count for account.

  2. Medicine/Medical. the withdrawal of whole blood from the body, separation of one or more components, and return by transfusion of remaining blood to the donor.


apheresis British  
/ ˌæfəˈrɛtɪk, əˈfɪərɪsɪs /

noun

  1. the omission of a letter or syllable at the beginning of a word

  2. a method of collecting blood from donors that enables its different components, such as the platelets or plasma, to be separated out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of apheresis

1605–15; < Late Latin aphaeresis < Greek aphaíresis a taking away, equivalent to aphairé ( în ) to take away ( ap- ap- 2 + haireîn to snatch) + -sis -sis

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Long covid has also prompted people to travel in search of experimental treatments, including apheresis, or “blood washing,” to eliminate clots that have been associated with prolonged symptoms.

From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2023

People can donate platelets every seven days compared with every 56 days for whole blood donations and 112 days for apheresis red cells, aka Super Reds.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2022

About a month passed between the apheresis and when the CAR T cells were ready to be infused.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2022

Experimental treatments are being offered at private clinics in Cyprus, Germany, and Switzerland where medics use apheresis, a "blood washing" treatment, and anticoagulants - blood thinning drugs.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2022

Miltenyi Biotec, a company in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, makes apheresis devices, which remove substances from plasma, and it is developing a technology that would selectively scrub suPAR out of patients' blood.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 19, 2018

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