definitions

sickle cell

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noun Pathology.

an abnormal red blood cell having an elongated, crescentlike shape due to the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin.

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Nearby words

sickie, sickish, sickishly, sickle, sickle bar, sickle cell, sickle cell anemia, sickle cell c disease, sickle cell disease, sickle cell hemoglobin, sickle cell retinopathy

Origin of sickle cell

First recorded in 1925–30; so called from the fact that the cells are often sickle-shaped
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sickle cell

Medicine definitions for sickle cell

sickle cell

n.

An abnormal, crescent-shaped red blood cell that results from a single change in the amino acid sequence of the cell's hemoglobin, which causes the cell to contort, especially under low-oxygen conditions.drepanocyte meniscocyte
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.