ferritin

American

[fer-i-tn] / ˈfɛr ɪ tn /

noun

Biochemistry.

an amber-colored, crystalline protein, found in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, that consists of apoferritin combined with a ferric hydroxide-ferric phosphate complex and that stores iron for use in metabolism.

ferritin British

/ ˈfɛrɪtɪn /

noun

biochem a protein that contains iron and plays a part in the storage of iron in the body. It occurs in the liver and spleen

"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

Etymology

Origin of ferritin

First recorded in 1935–40; ferrite + -in ²

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.

While Rose's first doctor initially dismissed her ferritin levels as, in her words, "not being that low", she managed to see another doctor who eventually gave her a diagnosis - iron deficiency.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

In contrast, a vaccine based on a scaffold protein called ferritin, coated with SARS-CoV-2 antigens, generated many antibodies against ferritin as well as SARS-CoV-2.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2024

And unlike iron, which is easily assessed by measuring levels of iron-containing blood proteins like hemoglobin and ferritin, there is no biomarker that can be used as an indicator of zinc levels.

From Washington Post • Jan. 14, 2022

A serum ferritin is normally below 400 in our lab, mine was 18,000!

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2020

The bone marrow, liver, and spleen can store iron in the protein compounds ferritin and hemosiderin.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023