Erythrocyte
/ɪˈrɪθ.rə.saɪt/noun
A red blood cell that carries oxygen in the blood.
Did you know?The root erythro- comes from Greek *erythros* (“red”), a color word that became a powerful scientific prefix in medicine, biology, and chemistry.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐρυθρός (erythros)
“red”
19th Century
French
érythro-
“a combining form meaning red, used in scientific terms”
19th Century
English
erythrocyte
“a red blood cell”
Modern English
English
erythrocyte
“a red blood cell, especially one of the oxygen-carrying cells in vertebrate blood”
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