Hemoblasts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Primitive or developing cells that differentiate into mature blood cells within the bone marrow and blood-forming tissues
2. Early-stage precursor cells that give rise to the various formed elements of blood through the process of hematopoiesis
3. Undifferentiated cells in hematopoietic tissue that proliferate and mature to become functional blood cells

Etymology: "Hemoblasts" is the plural of "hemoblast," a cell that gives rise to blood cells. The term is built from two Greek-derived elements: "hemo-", from Greek "haima," meaning blood, and "-blast," from Greek "blastos," meaning sprout, bud or germ. Put together, the name describes a cell that buds or sprouts into blood. The second element carries the same idea in many biology terms. A "blastocyst" is an early embryo, and "osteoblast" names a cell that forms bone. Each follows the pattern of a builder cell named for the tissue it produces, so "hemoblast" fits neatly into a family of scientific coinages assembled from classical roots.