hirudin

American

[hir-yuh-din, hir-uh-, hi-rood-n] / ˈhɪr yə dɪn, ˈhɪr ə-, hɪˈrud n /

noun

a gray or white, water-soluble acidic polypeptide obtained from the buccal gland of leeches, used in medicine chiefly as an anticoagulant.

hirudin British

/ hɪˈruːdɪn /

noun

med an anticoagulant extracted from the mouth glands of leeches

"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 hirudin

First recorded in 1900–05; formerly trademark

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.

Clotting is prevented by the injection of a harmless substance derived from leeches, known as hirudin.

From The War Terror by Reeve, Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin)

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