haemocyanin

H4A1E1M3O1C3Y4A1N1I1N1

A form of hemocyanin — a blue copper-containing respiratory pigment (a metalloprotein) found in most molluscs, and some arthropods

Scrabble 21

Meanings

nounhaemocyanin (countable and uncountable, plural haemocyanins)

plural haemocyanins

  1. UKalternativecountableuncountableAlternative spelling of hemocyanin.

    Haemocyanin : Out of these four respiratory blood pigments, haemocyanin ranks next in importance to haemoglobin.

    2005, Pradip V. Jabde, Text Book Of General Physiology, Discovery Publishing House, page 134
    2 more examples

    It now appears that in spite of great differences in structure, molluscan and arthropod haemocyanins have a common molecular origin (Schneider et al., cited in Linzen et al. 1985a).

    1987, Frauke Strazny, Steven F. Perry, “A: VI: Respiratory Structure: System and Structure”, in Wolfgang Nentwig, editor, Ecophysiology of Spiders, Springer, page 84

    S. officinalis uses the blood pigment haemocyanin which has a limited capacity for carrying oxygen (3 mM) and thus rely on fully oxygenating haemocyanin at the gills and releasing the majority of the bound oxygen as it passes through the body (Melzner et al. 2007b).

    2013, Isobel S. M. Bloor, Martin J. Attrill, Emma L. Jackson, “A Review of the Factors Influencing Spawning, Early Life Stage Survival and Recruitment Variability in the Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)”, in Michael Lesser, editor, Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 65, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 51

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekαἷμᾰ (haîmă)
  2. Ancient Greekαἱμο- (haimo-)
  3. Englishhaemo-
  4. Englishcyan
  5. Englishhaemocyanin

From haemo- + cyan + -in.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

haemocyanin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haemocyanin

MLA

“haemocyanin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haemocyanin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “haemocyanin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/haemocyanin.

Source: haemocyanin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.