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Glite Dictionary
spherocyte

spherocyte

9.9
A red blood cell that is round instead of flat like a normal one
  • noun
  • /ˈsfɪrəˌsaɪt/
  • Specialized
: esferocito
  • The laboratory test revealed the presence of spherocytes among the red blood cells.

Examples

  • The blood smear showed an increased number of spherocytes consistent with hereditary spherocytosis.

  • Patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia may develop spherocytes as part of the disease process.

  • A spherocyte is often associated with certain blood disorders.

  • The presence of spherocytes can indicate hemolytic anemia.

  • Patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia may develop spherocytes as part of the disease process.

  • The blood smear showed an increased number of spherocytes consistent with hereditary spherocytosis.

  • The laboratory test revealed the presence of spherocytes among the red blood cells.

Surface Forms

spherocyte singular
spherocytes plural

Morphology

spherocyte = sphere (semi-transparent) = sphero + cyte

Formally 'sphere' + the technical combining form '-cyte' meaning 'cell'; the meaning 'spherical cell' is compositional but '-cyte' is a specialized bound morpheme unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Spherocyte comes from the parts sphero- ('ball') — like sphere — and -cyte ('cell'). So a spherocyte is a 'ball-shaped cell', which explains why the word names a red blood cell that is round instead of the normal disc shape.