hemoglobin Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color; function primarily to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues
Hb; haemoglobin.
- fish have simpler hemoglobin than mammals

Hemo- + globe.

(Physiol.) The normal coloring matter of the red blood corpuscles of vertebrate animals. It is composed of hematin and globulin, and is also called hæmatoglobulin. In arterial blood, it is always combined with oxygen, and is then called oxyhemoglobin. It crystallizes under different forms from different animals, and when crystallized, is called hæmatocrystallin. See Blood crystal, under Blood.