basophil

[ bey-suh-fil ]

/ ˈbeɪ sə fɪl /

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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.

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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

basmati, basmati rice, bas mitzvah, basnet, bason, basophil, basophilia, basophilic, Basotho, Basotho-Qwaqwa, Basov

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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