hemocyanin

noun

he·​mo·​cy·​a·​nin ˌhē-mō-ˈsī-ə-nən 

: a copper-containing respiratory pigment in the circulatory fluid of various arthropods and mollusks

Examples of hemocyanin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their equivalent to blood is hemolymph, a mostly clear fluid that contains small amounts of hemocyanin. — Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2019

The researchers also weighed the crabs without their shells and measured their levels of hemocyanin, a molecule that carries oxygen in the blood. — Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 Mar. 2015

Specifically, the hemocyanin in their blood delivers oxygen much less efficiently than hemoglobin would under many conditions. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 Jan. 2026

The protein, hemocyanin, is a key ingredient in the skin cream that Patrick Breeding, 27, and Amber Boutiette, 29, distribute from a bare-bones, former steel factory on the outskirts of Portland. — Brian MacQuarrie, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary hem- + cyan- + -in entry 1

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hemocyanin

• anthocyanin

Medical Definition

hemocyanin

noun

he·​mo·​cy·​a·​nin

variants or chiefly British haemocyanin

ˌhē-mō-ˈsī-ə-nən 

: a colorless copper-containing respiratory pigment in solution in the blood plasma of various arthropods and mollusks