Monoblasts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of immature cell that develops into a monocyte in the blood and immune system
2. A precursor cell in hematopoiesis that gives rise to monocytes and macrophages
3. An early stage in the formation of blood cells that plays a role in the immune response

Etymology: "Monoblasts" is the plural of "monoblast," a precursor cell in the bone marrow that matures into monocytes and, later, macrophages. The word is built from two Greek-derived elements. "Mono-" comes from Greek "monos," meaning "single" or "alone," and in biology it often signals a single type or a single unit of something. "-blast" comes from Greek "blastos," meaning "bud" or "germ," and in biology it names an immature cell that gives rise to more specialized cells. Put together, the name describes a single-lineage germ cell: an early stage committed to producing monocytes alone. The pattern is a modern scientific coinage, built from classical elements in the same way as other cell names such as "erythroblast" and "myeloblast," rather than a term used by ancient Greek writers, who knew nothing of blood cells as we understand them.