platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute flattened body (as of ice or a mineral)

especially : a minute colorless disklike body of mammalian blood that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte

Examples of platelet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How the tool works Traditional methods of monitoring platelet activity often rely on indirect measurements or invasive procedures. —Reem Amro, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2025

The pope was also diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, a condition characterized by a low count of the platelets in blood that help to form clots. —Willem Marx, NPR, 25 Feb. 2025

But the new finding published in the journal Blood shows that these stem cells, capable of producing a variety of cells including red blood cells and platelets which form blood clots and aid in tissue healing, are also found in the lungs. —Victoria Forster, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025

Injuries, straining, low platelets (cells that form a plug to stop the bleeding after injury), platelet dysfunction, and weak or swollen blood vessels can also cause petechiae.23 Certain health conditions and medications can cause petechiae. —Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing platelet

• blood platelet

Rhymes for platelet

• antiplatelet

Kids Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: one of the tiny colorless disk-shaped bodies of the blood of mammals that assist in blood clotting

Medical Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute colorless anucleate disklike body of mammalian blood that is derived from fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm, that is released from the bone marrow into the blood, and that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte