e·ryth·ro·cyte / iˈri[unvoicedth]rəˌsīt/ • n. a red blood cell that (in humans) is typically a biconcave disc without a nucleus. Erythrocytes contain the pigment hemoglobin, which imparts the red color to blood, and transport oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the tissues.DERIVATIVES: e·ryth·ro·cyt·ic / iˌri[unvoicedth]rəˈsitik/ adj.

erythrocyte (red blood cell) The most numerous type of blood cell, which contains the red pigment haemoglobin and is responsible for oxygen transport. Mammalian erythrocytes are disc-shaped and lack a nucleus; those of other vertebrates are oval and nucleated. In humans the number of erythrocytes in the blood varies between 4.5 and 5.5 million per cubic millimetre. They survive for about four months and are then destroyed in the spleen and liver. See also erythropoiesis. Compare leucocyte.

erythrocyte Red blood cell, a body consisting mainly of haemoglobin that conveys almost all the oxygen carried in the blood. It is incapable of independent motion. In adult mammals (but not embryos) the cell has no nucleus; in other species there is a nucleus but it does not synthesize RNA.

erythrocyte Red blood cell, usually disc-shaped and without a nucleus. It contains haemoglobin, which combines with oxygen and gives blood its red colour. Normal human blood contains an average of 5 million such cells per cu mm of blood.

erythrocyte (red blood cell, RBC) (i-rith-roh-syt) n. a blood cell containing the pigment haemoglobin, the principal function of which is to transport oxygen. There are normally about 5×10₁₂ erythrocytes per litre of blood.