Acanthocyte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A red blood cell bearing irregular, spiky projections on its surface, often seen in certain liver diseases and rare inherited conditions
2. An abnormally shaped red blood cell covered in thorn-like extensions, typically associated with severe liver disorders or a hereditary blood disorder
3. A misshapen erythrocyte studded with sharp, spine-like protrusions that appears in some blood tests as a sign of underlying disease

Etymology: Acanthocyte is a medical term for a red blood cell that has several spiky, irregular projections on its surface. Its name is a compound built from two Ancient Greek words: "ákantha", meaning "thorn", and "kútos", meaning "cell" or hollow container. The first element gives the cell its thorny outline, and the second is the same "-cyte" that appears in many blood-cell names such as lymphocyte and erythrocyte. The word is a modern technical coinage, assembled from classical roots to name a cell type that a Greek physician would not have recognised. Its meaning stays close to the literal parts, so a reader who knows the roots can work out the sense without a dictionary.

Synonyms: spur cell