basophil

[ bey-suh-fil ]

/ ˈbeɪ sə fɪl /

Save This Word!

noun

Biology. a basophilic cell, tissue, organism, or substance.

Anatomy. a white blood cell having a two-lobed nucleus and basilophilic granules in its cytoplasm.

adjective

Biology. basilophilic.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also ba·so·phile

[bey-suh-fahyl, -fil]. /ˈbeɪ səˌfaɪl, -fɪl/.

Origin of basophil

First recorded in 1885–90; bas(ic dye) + -o- + -phil

Words nearby basophil

baso-, basoerythrocyte, basoerythrocytosis, basolateral, bason, basophil, basophil adenoma, basophilia, basophilic, basophilic leukemia, basophilic leukocyte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use basophil in a sentence

Schaffer made use of a corresponding basophil stain, hmalum.
The Origin of Vertebrates|Walter Holbrook Gaskell
Their intensely basophil granulation, of very irregular size and unequal distribution, must specially be mentioned.
Histology of the Blood|Paul Ehrlich
He distinguishes hyaline, acidophil and basophil cells, and derives all from the lymphocytes.
Histology of the Blood|Paul Ehrlich
In the young granules there is prominent a basophil portion that becomes less and less marked as the cell grows older.
Histology of the Blood|Paul Ehrlich

That a well-marked basophil leucocytosis has not so far been observed may be thus explained.
Histology of the Blood|Paul Ehrlich

British Dictionary definitions for basophil

basophil

basophile

/ (ˈbeɪsəfɪl) /

adjective Also: basophilic (ˌbeɪsəˈfɪlɪk)

(of cells or cell contents) easily stained by basic dyes

noun

a basophil cell, esp a leucocyte

Word Origin for basophil

C19: from Greek; see base 1 + -phile

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

Medical definitions for basophil

basophil

[ bā′sə-fĭl ]

A cell, especially a white blood cell, having granules that stain readily with basic dyes.