hirudine

H4I1R1U1D2I1N1E1

adjective

Of or relating to the leeches.

Scrabble 12

Meanings

adjectivehirudine (comparative more hirudine, superlative most hirudine)

comparative more hirudine · superlative most hirudine

  1. biologyOf or relating to the leeches.

    Other factors may contribute to the development of a hirudine constitution by causing primarily a decrease in the water and mineral content of the body.

    1933, Eugene Földes, A New Approach to Dietetic Therapy, page 196
nounhirudine (usually uncountable, plural hirudines)

plural hirudines

  1. alternativeuncountableusuallyAlternative form of hirudin.

    Weill and Nouriquand conclude that under certain conditions hemorrhage may develop after leech applications in consequenc of a hemophilia due to hirudine. Investigations have been made showing that hirudine is a nucleoproteid, which they hope to demonstrate in the blood of such patients.

    1912, E. Weill, C. Nouriquand, “Secondary Hemorrhage Following the Application of Leeches”, in The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, volume 143, page 130
    1 more example

    The antagonistic action of hirudine may be exerted at several stages of the coagulation of the blood. Hirudine can retard indefinitely the transformation of proserozyme into serozyme, can markedly retard the reaction between serozyme and cytozyme which produces thrombin, and can function as an antithrombin and neutralize the thrombin when the latter is formed.

    1921, Joseph S. Hepburn, “Mechanism of the anticoagulating action of hirudine”, in Chemical Abstracts, volume 15, numbers 13-18, page 2449

Origin

  1. Latinhirūdō“leech”
  2. Englishhirudine

From Latin hirūdō (“leech”) + -ine.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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