haemoglobin

British

/ ˌhɛm-, ˌhiːməʊˈɡləʊbɪn /

noun

a conjugated protein, consisting of haem and the protein globin, that gives red blood cells their characteristic colour. It combines reversibly with oxygen and is thus very important in the transportation of oxygen to tissues See also oxyhaemoglobin

"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 haemoglobin

C19: shortened from haematoglobulin, from _haematin + _globulin the two components

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.

See Examples For:

haemoglobin

It is caused by genetic change that means people make haemoglobin - a key protein in red blood cells - that doesn't work properly.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2025

If there is more haemoglobin in the blood, more oxygen can be carried to the muscles, giving an athlete more resistance to lactic acid burn - helping them go faster for longer.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025

People with beta thalassaemia struggle to produce enough haemoglobin, which is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024

When we are still in the womb, our bodies use "fetal haemoglobin" to pull oxygen out of our mother's bloodstream.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024

As haemoglobin is the medium of respiratory interchange, its diminution causes obvious symptoms, which are much more easily appreciated by the patient than those caused by alterations in the plasma or the leucocytes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1 "Bisharin" to "Bohea" by Various

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