hemophilia

American  

[hee-muh-fil-ee-uh, -feel-yuh, hem-uh-] / ˌhi məˈfɪl i ə, -ˈfil yə, ˌhɛm ə- /

noun

1. any of several X-linked genetic disorders, symptomatic chiefly in males, in which excessive bleeding occurs owing to the absence or abnormality of a clotting factor in the blood.

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hemophilia Scientific  

/ hē′mə-fĭl′ē-ə /

1. Any of several hereditary coagulation disorders, seen almost exclusively in males, in which the blood fails to clot normally because of a deficiency or an abnormality of one of the clotting factors.

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hemophilia Cultural  

1. A hereditary disease caused by a deficiency of a substance in the blood that aids in clotting. Hemophiliacs can bleed to death even from small cuts and bruises, because their blood has largely lost the ability to clot.

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Discover More

Queen Victoria of Britain, whose descendants have been kings and queens of several countries in Europe, carried the gene for hemophilia, which has turned up repeatedly in royal families since her lifetime. Her great-grandson, the heir to the throne of Russia, suffered from the disease, and his parents fell under the influence of the monk Grigori Rasputin in hopes of a miraculous cure. The resulting chaos in the government of Russia helped bring on the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Etymology

Origin of hemophilia

From New Latin, dating back to 1850–55; see origin at hemo-, -philia

Explanation

Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that makes it hard for a person's blood to clot. People with hemophilia are at risk of bleeding a lot even from minor injuries. The medical term hemophilia comes from the German hämophile, from Greek roots haima, "blood or streams of blood," and philia, which means "to love" but can also have the sense of "tendency to." The earliest recorded case of hemophilia was in the 10th century, but the disorder wasn't understood until the 1800s. Men are much more likely than women to suffer from hemophilia.

Example Sentences

It’s the second acquisition for BioMarin of 2025, which is seeking to diversify its product portfolio as it recovers from the commercial failure of a hemophilia A gene therapy.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

Roche said pharma sales increased 7%, and cited Ocrevus for multiple sclerosis, Phesgo for breast cancer and Hemlibra for hemophilia among its top-performing drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

At one school attended by children with hemophilia, public health officials gave the children “multiple, riskier” treatments as part of research, the report added.

From Seattle Times • May 20, 2024

In the 20th century, the secret hemophilia of the heir to the Russian empire had a hand in driving the Romanov dynasty to oblivion.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2024

He worked odd jobs waiting tables and doing construction, but he’d eventually have another hemophilia attack and end up unemployed again.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot