Meanings
nounhaem (countable and uncountable, plural haems)
plural haems
- countableuncountableAustralia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and UK standard spelling of heme.
Haem is ubiquitous, abundant and necessary for energy metabolism. Most bacteria have a haem biosynthesis pathway, but nevertheless, since haem is a major source of iron (an essential metal), microbes take up exogenous haem to retrieve iron.
2010, Pierre Cornelis, Simon Andrews (editors), Iron Uptake and Homeostasis in Microorganisms, page 17
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with haem
teamstreamprimeseemdreamextremeschemesupremebeamsteamredeemregimeupstreamscreamesteemdownstreamseamdeemKariminseamneemhemeacademegleam
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
haem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haem
MLA
“haem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haem. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “haem,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haem.
Source: haem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.