Main Entry: thal·as·se·mia

Pronunciation: \ˌtha-lə-ˈsē-mē-ə\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek thalassa sea + New Latin -emia

Date: 1932

: any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis affecting the globin chain that are characterized usually by mild to severe hemolytic anemia, are caused by a series of allelic genes, and tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, black, or southeast Asian ancestry; especially : cooley's anemia

— thal·as·se·mic \-mik\ adjective or noun