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Glite Dictionary
factor XI

factor XI

6.9
A blood protein that helps blood clot, whose lack makes people bleed too much
  • noun
  • /ˈfæktər ɛlˈvaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : factor XI
  • A deficiency in factor XI can result in an increased risk of bleeding during surgery.

Examples

  • Doctors often test for factor XI levels in patients who experience unexplained excessive bleeding.

  • Research has shown that low levels of factor XI are linked to different bleeding disorders.

  • Plasma factor-XI antithrombin complexes were quantified according to Sanchez and colleagues.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

plasma thromboplastin antecedent
vsfactor XI
  • Specialized
9.9

A protein in blood that helps it to clot and whose lack causes heavy bleeding

is the identical protein but uses a shorter technical name

Surface Forms

factor XI singular
factors XI plural

Morphology

factor + XI

The form 'factor XI' is compositionally clear: a learner who knows 'factor' and the numeral 'XI' can infer it labels the eleventh factor in a series. However, the specific biomedical sense — that it is a blood coagulation protein and that its deficiency causes bleeding — is domain-specific and not derivable from the parts, so the expression is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Factor XI gets its name from an old list of clotting helpers numbered with Roman numerals, where XI is eleven in that list. So factor XI is the eleventh blood protein that helps 'blood clotting', and if it is low a person can 'bleed' too much.