methemoglobin

M3E1T1H4E1M3O1G2L1O1B3I1N1

noun

An oxidized form of hemoglobin, containing ferric rather than ferrous iron, that cannot transport oxygen.

OriginEnglish haemoglobin ← German Globin ← Latin globus →
UncommonScrabble 23
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Meanings

nounmethemoglobin (countable and uncountable, plural methemoglobins)

plural methemoglobins · alternative archaic methæmoglobin · alternative methaemoglobin

  1. countableuncountablebiochemistryAn oxidized form of hemoglobin, containing ferric rather than ferrous iron, that cannot transport oxygen.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meth₂?
  3. Ancient Greekμετᾰ́ (metắ)
  4. Ancient Greekμετᾰ- (metă-)
  5. Englishmeta-
  6. Ancient Greekαἷμᾰ (haîmă)
  7. Ancient Greekαἱμο- (haimo-)
  8. Englishhaemo-
  9. Latinglobus
  10. GermanGlobin
  11. Englishglobin
  12. Englishhaemoglobin
  13. Englishmethemoglobin

From meta- + haemoglobin.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

methemoglobin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methemoglobin

MLA

“methemoglobin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methemoglobin. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “methemoglobin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methemoglobin.

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