haemoglobin

IPA/ˌhiːməˈɡləʊbɪn/
IPA/ˌhiːməˈɡləʊbɪn/

haemoglobin — noun

1. An iron-rich protein with a red colour, found in the body's red blood cells. Thi

1.nounB2
Definition

An iron-rich protein with a red colour, found in the body's red blood cells. This protein captures oxygen after each breath and transports it to all tissues, making the blood appear red.

Example

The doctor told Erik that his haemoglobin levels were slightly low after the blood test.

haemoglobin level — common collocation in medical test results

Hannah's doctor recommended eating more spinach and beans to raise her haemoglobin naturally.

raise haemoglobin — collocation for dietary/medical advice

Common collocations
  • low haemoglobin
  • high haemoglobin
  • haemoglobin level
  • haemoglobin count
  • haemoglobin concentration
  • haemoglobin test
Synonyms
  • Hb

    abbreviation used on medical reports and lab forms; not a true synonym but a standard shorthand

Grammar Patterns

haemoglobin + level(s) / count

haemoglobin + verb (singular)

Usage Note

Frequently used with level, count, or concentration in blood-test reports. When talking about the substance in general, haemoglobin is uncountable ('Haemoglobin contains iron'); the countable form (haemoglobins) is reserved for scientific discussion of different subtypes (e.g. foetal haemoglobin vs adult haemoglobin).

Common Mistakes

The nurse checked my haemoglobin in my arm.
The nurse took a blood sample to check my haemoglobin level.
Haemoglobin is measured from a blood sample, not directly from a body part.

Word family

  • haem
    nounC1
  • haematology
    nounC1
  • haemolytic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Haemoglobin, haem, iron, and myoglobin are related but distinct terms that learners often mix up when reading about blood and oxygen. Haemoglobin is the complete protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Haem is the iron-containing chemical group at the centre of each haemoglobin subunit — it is the part that actually binds oxygen molecules. Iron is a mineral element that the body needs in order to make haem; a lack of iron leads to low haemoglobin and causes anaemia. Myoglobin is a similar oxygen-storing protein found in muscle tissue, not in blood; it gives muscles their red colour and acts as an emergency oxygen reserve during exercise. In short: iron is the mineral, haem is the iron-based chemical piece, haemoglobin is the full protein in blood, and myoglobin is its counterpart in muscles.

haemiron ↗myoglobin

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • haemoglobin level
  • haemoglobin count
  • haemoglobin concentration
  • low haemoglobin
  • haemoglobin test

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Haemoglobin is a combination of three historical word pieces. The first part, haem-, comes from the Greek word haima, meaning 'blood'. The second part, globin, comes from the Latin word globus, meaning 'ball' or 'sphere' — a reference to the roughly round shape of the protein molecule. The ending -in is a standard chemical suffix used for proteins and similar substances. The term was first used in the 1860s when scientists were beginning to understand how blood carries oxygen.

First known use

1869

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1