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Glite Dictionary
WBC

WBC

7 3.5
A blood cell that eats bacteria and fungi to help fight infection
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : glóbulo blanco
  • Findings on the blood workup were normal with the exception of leukocytosis (WBC: 14.0 x 10^9/L).
  • WBC count
  • white blood cells

Examples

  • Laboratory evaluation revealed a WBC count of 1.8/mm3, hemoglobin 9.7 g/dl, hematocrit of 28.1%, and platelet count of 18,000/mm3.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Leucocyte (WBC) and erythrocyte (RBC) counts were done on an electronic cell counter (Coulter, UK).

    Academic text (2007)

  • The patient had an arthrocentesis done that revealed WBC of 38,100 #/cmm.

    Academic text (2007)

  • When the patient was close to discharge on 11/25/06, the WBC was 5.6 x 10^3/L with 9% eosinophils.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Relevant laboratory findings were an elevated white blood cell count (WBC) of 12,000 K/cmm.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Persistent temperature, elevated WBC and ESR counts, wound erythema, or drainage are signs of infection.

    Academic text (2005)

  • On admission, the white blood count (WBC) was 11.1 x 10^3 /L with 3% eosinophils.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Findings on the blood workup were normal except for leukocytosis (white blood cell count WBC: 16.9 x 10^9/L).

    Academic text (2006)

  • The doctor explained that a high WBC count can indicate an infection in the body.

  • Monitoring the patient's WBC levels is crucial for assessing their immune response.

Synonyms

white blood cell
vsWBC
  • Specialized
22 2.5

A cell in the blood that helps the body fight infections

is the shortened written form used in medical notes
white cell
vsWBC
9 3.3

A blood cell that eats and kills germs to protect the body

is the abbreviated clinical label rather than the casual spoken name
leukocyte
vsWBC
  • Specialized
3 5.4

A white blood cell that helps the body fight infection by eating bacteria and fungi

is the common short label rather than the formal scientific name
white corpuscle
vsWBC
1 4.6

A blood cell that surrounds and destroys germs

is the shortened written form used commonly in notes and labels
white blood corpuscle
vsWBC
  • Archaic
3.9

A blood cell that helps protect the body by eating and killing bacteria and other germs

is the abbreviated modern label rather than the older full name

Surface Forms

WBC singular
WBCs plural

Morphology

WBC = white + blood + cell (semi-transparent) = W + B + C

An initialism that directly stands for the phrase 'white blood cell', so the meaning is clearly derived from the component words. [Postprocessing: changed transparency from 'transparent' to 'semi-transparent' for abbreviation]

Etymology

The word WBC is short for white blood cell. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine 'white' soldiers in your blood that eat germs like bacteria and fungi, so a high or low WBC count tells doctors how well your immune system is fighting infection.