Meanings
plural bilirubins
- countableuncountablebiochemistryA bile pigment that is a product of the breakdown of the heme portion of hemoglobin (which occurs within macrophages as they digest red blood cells), and which is responsible for the yellowish color seen in bruises. Extremely high levels of bilirubin may cause jaundice.
The doctors said this was very common, just her new-born liver catching up with the rest of her — the build-up of bilirubin in her blood. The substance red blood cells produce when broken down.
2022, Maddie Mortimer, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, Picador, page 339
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan orange-yellow pigment in the bile that forms as a product of hemoglobin; excess amounts in the blood produce the yellow appearance observed in jaundice
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanBilirubin
- Englishbilirubin
From international scientific vocabulary, from German Bilirubin. By surface analysis, bili- + rub- + -in. The German word was naturalized into other languages as international scientific vocabulary (e.g., bilirubin, bilirubine, bilirubina).
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 膽紅素 /胆红素
- 膽紅素 /胆红素 (dǎnhóngsù)bile pigment
Finnish bilirubiini
- bilirubiinibile pigment
French bilirubine
- bilirubinebile pigment
German Bilirubin
- Bilirubinbile pigment
Greek χολερυθρίνη
- χολερυθρίνη (cholerythríni)bile pigment
Irish bilearúibin
- bilearúibinbile pigment
Japanese ビリルビン
- ビリルビン (birirubin)bile pigment
Korean 빌리루빈
- 빌리루빈 (billirubin)bile pigment
Polish bilirubina
- bilirubinabile pigment
Portuguese bilirrubina
- bilirrubinabile pigment
Russian билируби́н
- билируби́н (bilirubín)bile pigment
Tamil பிலிரூபின்
- பிலிரூபின் (pilirūpiṉ)bile pigment
Turkish bilirübin
- bilirübinbile pigment
Cite this entry
bilirubin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilirubin
“bilirubin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilirubin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bilirubin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilirubin.
Source: bilirubin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.