🎯 A cell affected 🩸 A red blood cell

target cell

8.4

A red blood cell with a dark ring around a dark center seen in some types of anemia

noun
/ˈtɑrɡɪt sɛl/

Specialized

: célula objetivo

A blood smear revealed numerous target cells indicative of anemia.

Examples

The presence of target cells can help diagnose certain types of thalassemia.
In sickle cell disease, target cells may be seen alongside sickled erythrocytes.
A target cell is often observed in blood tests.
Doctors look for target cells when diagnosing anemia.
A blood smear revealed numerous target cells, which are indicative of certain types of anemia.
In patients with anemia, doctors often observe target cells in blood tests.
The identification of target cells in a sample can assist in diagnosing specific blood disorders.

Surface Forms

target cell singular

target cells plural

Morphology

target + cell

The meaning 'a cell that is the focus of action' is directly and compositionally derived from 'target' (an object aimed at) plus 'cell' (a microscopic unit). This noun–noun combination follows a regular, non-idiomatic pattern (the thing being targeted), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Target cell comes from how the red blood cell looks: a dark center with a ring around it, like a shooting target on a slide. Doctors call these target cells because that bullseye picture helps them spot certain blood problems such as 'anemia'.