methemoglobin

noun

met·​he·​mo·​glo·​bin ˌmet-ˈhē-mə-ˌglō-bən 

: a soluble brown crystalline basic blood pigment that differs from hemoglobin in containing ferric iron and in being unable to combine reversibly with molecular oxygen

Examples of methemoglobin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Typical levels of methemoglobin in the blood range from 0% to 2%. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2019

Lab tests showed that the Rhode Island woman’s percentage of methemoglobin was 44%. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2019

So, methemoglobinemia is a rare blood disorder that causes people to produce an abnormal amount of methemoglobin. —Maggie O'Neill, Health.com, 19 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

methemoglobin

noun

met·​he·​mo·​glo·​bin

variants or chiefly British methaemoglobin

(ˈ)met-ˈhē-mə-ˌglō-bən 

: a soluble brown crystalline basic blood pigment that is found in normal blood in much smaller amounts than hemoglobin, that is formed from blood, hemoglobin, or oxyhemoglobin by oxidation, and that differs from hemoglobin in containing ferric iron and in being unable to combine reversibly with molecular oxygen

called also ferrihemoglobin