Hemoglobins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of proteins found in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returning carbon dioxide for exhalation
2. Variants of globin that associate with heme groups, facilitating the binding of oxygen and carbon dioxide as part of respiratory physiology
3. Proteins crucial for blood functionality, enabling the delivery of essential gases throughout the organism while aiding in the removal of metabolic waste gases

Etymology: The plural "hemoglobins" refers to several distinct forms of the protein hemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells and carries oxygen. Hemoglobin itself was first named "hematinoglobulin", a blend of "hematin", a compound containing the iron-bearing heme group, and "globulin", a protein class. The name packed two ideas into one: the blood-coloured pigment and the globular protein that carries it. The first half comes from Ancient Greek "haima", meaning blood, which also appears in words such as "anemia" and "hemorrhage." The second half comes from Latin "globus", meaning ball or sphere, reflecting the rounded shape of protein molecules as they were pictured in early chemistry. The name was later shortened to "hemoglobin", the form in use today.

Synonyms: red blood proteins, oxygen carriers