thromboplastin

[ throm-buh-plas-tin ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. a lipoprotein in the blood that converts prothrombin to thrombin.

  2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this substance, obtained from the brains of cattle, used chiefly as a local hemostatic and as a laboratory reagent in blood prothrombin tests.

Origin of thromboplastin

1
First recorded in 1910–15; thrombo- + -plast + -in2
  • Also called throm·bo·ki·nase [throm-boh-kahy-neys, -kin-eys]. /ˌθrɒm boʊˈkaɪ neɪs, -ˈkɪn eɪs/.

Words Nearby thromboplastin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for thromboplastin

thromboplastin

/ (ˌθrɒmbəʊˈplæstɪn) /


noun
  1. any of a group of substances that are liberated from damaged blood platelets and other tissues and convert prothrombin to thrombin: Also called: thrombokinase

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