spectrin

[ spek-trin ]
/ ˈspɛk trɪn /

noun Biochemistry.

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

Words nearby spectrin

spectral line, spectral luminous efficiency, spectral series, spectral type, spectre, spectrin, spectro-, spectrobolometer, spectrochemical, spectrochemistry, spectrocolorimetry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for spectrin

spectrin
/ (ˈspɛktrɪn) /

noun

any one of a class of fibrous proteins found in the membranes of red blood cells, the brain, the intestine, etc

Word Origin for spectrin

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

Medical definitions for spectrin

spectrin
[ spĕk′trĭn ]

n.

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.