Standard Lemma guide

erythrocyte

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /əˈɹɪθɹəˌsaɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A hemoglobin-containing cell, especially as found in humans but more generally present in the blood of most vertebrates, that is involved with the transport of oxygen; such cells are usually anucleate in humans and many other animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, cytology, hematology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues; a biconcave disc that has no nucleus

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: red blood cell, RBC

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: blood cell, blood corpuscle, corpuscle

Narrower terms: megalocyte, macrocyte, megaloblast, acanthocyte, microcyte, reticulocyte, sickle cell, siderocyte, spherocyte, target cell

History

Etymology

From erythro- (“red”) + -cyte (“cell”), referring to the red color of hemoglobin when oxygen is bound to it.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: hematí — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Belarusian: эрытрацы́т (erytracýt) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Bulgarian: еритроци́т (eritrocít) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Catalan: eritròcit — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Czech: erytrocyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Danish: erytrocyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Dutch: erytrocyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Esperanto: eritrocito — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Finnish: erytrosyytti — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • French: érythrocyte — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • German: Erythrozyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Greek: ερυθροκύτταρο (erythrokýttaro) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Hindi: लाल रक्त कोशिका (lāl rakt kośikā) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Hungarian: eritrocita — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Ido: eritrocito — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Indonesian: eritrosit — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Irish: eiritricít — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Italian: eritrocita — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Italian: eritrocito — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Northern Kurdish: erîtrosît — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Latin: erythrocytus — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Polish: erytrocyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Portuguese: eritrócito — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Romanian: eritrocit — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Russian: эритроци́т (eritrocít) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Spanish: eritrocito — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Swedish: erytrocyt — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Turkish: eritrosit — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell
  • Ukrainian: еритроци́т (erytrocýt) — scientific name for red blood cell — see also red blood cell