Definition

A type of red blood cell that is larger than normal, often found in certain types of anemia.

Example

The doctor noted the presence of macrocytes in the patient's blood test results.

Conversation

I read that a macrocyte is an unusually large red blood cell.

Really? I didn’t know that! What causes it?

It’s often associated with certain types of anemia, like pernicious anemia.

That makes sense; I wonder how they detect a macrocyte in a blood test.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Macrocyte → It is formed from "macro-" (from Greek "makros", meaning large) and "cyte" (from Greek "kytos", meaning cell). The word "macrocyte" refers to a large cell, particularly in the context of blood cells.

Memory Tip

Think of 'large' ('macro-') and 'cell' ('cyte') to remember that a macrocyte is a large cell.

Visually Confused Words