Meanings
plural haematoblasts · alternative hæmatoblast · alternative hematoblast · alternative hæmoblast · alternative haemoblast · alternative hemoblast
- Either of two categories of blood cell.
- obsoletebiologyAny of the precursor cells in hematopoiesis that precede the mature blood cells, sometimes specifically those that lead to a mature red blood cell (e.g., hematopoietic stem cell, CFU-GEMM, CFU-E, NRBC, proerythroblast, erythroblast).
Near-synonyms: hematopoietic cell, hemocytoblast, HSC (all often synonymous)
Synonyms: hematopoietic cell, hemocytoblast, HSC
- obsoletebiologyA platelet.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of the precursor cells in hematopoiesis that precede the mature blood cells, sometimes specifically those that lead to a mature red blood cell (e.g., hematopoietic stem cell, CFU-GEMM, CFU-E, NRBC, proerythroblast, erythroblast).
Origin
From haemato- (“blood”) + -blast (“germ, sprout”). A name used in centuries past for any of various blood cells that were visible on microscopy but were not well understood at the time, all seeming like candidates for cells that might later turn into mature red or white cells. Some use of the name as referring to platelets continued even for a while after their role in clotting was apparent.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
haematoblast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haematoblast
“haematoblast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haematoblast. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “haematoblast,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haematoblast.
Source: haematoblast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.