Nonanemic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a state of having a normal or adequate amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin, indicating no signs of anemia or related deficiencies
2. Characterizing a condition in which the blood maintains sufficient levels of oxygen-carrying capacity without exhibiting symptoms associated with anemia or lack of iron
3. Indicating a healthy blood status where there is no reduction in red blood cell count or hemoglobin concentration, thus not suffering from anemia or its effects

Etymology: "Nonanemic" is a plain English compound: the prefix "non-" attached to "anemic," meaning not affected by anemia. The prefix is the ordinary English negating element, from Old English "nān" ("not one"), which over time shrank to "non-" as a free-standing prefix for negation. "Anemic" itself is the more interesting half. It comes from "anemia," a medical term built from Greek roots meaning "without blood," since the condition was understood as a shortage of blood or its red-cell content. The adjective ending "-ic," from Latin "-icus" through Old French, marks a word that relates to or has the qualities of something. Medical writers formed "anemic" in this way when they needed a descriptive adjective for patients with the condition. Because "nonanemic" is simply "anemic" with a negating prefix, its meaning follows directly from the parts: it describes blood that has normal red-cell counts and hemoglobin levels, the reverse of the deficiency that "anemic" names.