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spectrin

[spek-trin]
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noun Biochemistry.
  1. a rodlike structural protein of the red blood cell membrane.
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Origin of spectrin

1968; spect(e)r (cf. ghost def. 12) + -in2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for spectrin

spectrin

noun
  1. any one of a class of fibrous proteins found in the membranes of red blood cells, the brain, the intestine, etc
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Word Origin

C20: from spectr (e) + -in, referring to the ghosts (isolated cell membranes) of red blood cells, the source of the first known member of the class
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
spectrin in Medicine

spectrin

(spĕk′trĭn)
n.
  1. A contractile protein of high molecular weight that is a component of a network in the membrane of red blood cells, giving the cells flexibility.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.