haptoglobin

noun

hap·​to·​glo·​bin ˈhap-tə-ˌglō-bən How to pronounce haptoglobin (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If more blood is being destroyed than usual, the level of haptoglobin drops. —Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 18 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of haptoglobin was in 1941

Dictionary Entries Near haptoglobin

haptics

haptoglobin

Haptopoda

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Haptoglobin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haptoglobin. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

haptoglobin

noun
hap·​to·​glo·​bin ˈhap-tə-ˌglō-bən How to pronounce haptoglobin (audio)
: 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

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