1 haptoglobin | Definition of haptoglobin

haptoglobin

noun
hap·​to·​glo·​bin | \ ˈhap-tə-ˌglƍ-bən How to pronounce haptoglobin (audio) \

Definition of haptoglobin

: any of several forms of an alpha globulin found in blood serum that can combine with free hemoglobin in the plasma and thereby prevent the loss of iron into the urine

Examples of haptoglobin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If more blood is being destroyed than usual, the level of haptoglobin drops. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, "Why Wouldn’t the Lump Under the Patient’s Jaw Go Away?," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haptoglobin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of haptoglobin

1941, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for haptoglobin

borrowed from French haptoglobine, shortened from earlier prosaptoglobine, from Greek prosáptein "to fasten, attach to" (from pros- pros- + háptein "to fasten") + French -o- -o- + globine globin — more at haptics

Note: Term introduced by the French biochemist Michel Polonovski (1889-1954) and the endocrinologist Max-Fernand Jayle (1913-78) in "Sur la préparation d'une nouvelle fraction des protéines plasmatiques, l'haptoglobine," Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des sciences, tome 211 (juillet-décembre, 1940), pp. 517-19.

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More Definitions for haptoglobin

haptoglobin

noun
hap·​to·​glo·​bin | \ ˈhap-tə-ˌglƍ-bən How to pronounce haptoglobin (audio) \

Medical Definition of haptoglobin

: any of several forms of an alpha globulin found in blood serum that can combine with free hemoglobin in the plasma and thereby prevent the loss of iron into the urine

More from Merriam-Webster on haptoglobin

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about haptoglobin