heparin

[ hep-uh-rin ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. a polysaccharide, occurring in various tissues, especially the liver, and having anticoagulent properties.

  2. Pharmacology. a commercial form of this substance, obtained from the liver and lungs of domesticated food animals, that when injected into the blood prevents coagulation: used chiefly in the treatment of thrombosis.

Origin of heparin

1
1915–20; <Greek hêpar the liver + -in2

Words Nearby heparin

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How to use heparin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heparin

heparin

/ (ˈhɛpərɪn) /


noun
  1. a polysaccharide, containing sulphate groups, present in most body tissues: an anticoagulant used in the treatment of thrombosis

Origin of heparin

1
C20: from Greek hēpar the liver + -in

Derived forms of heparin

  • heparinoid, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for heparin

heparin

[ hĕpər-ĭn ]


  1. An acidic glycosaminoglycan found especially in lung and liver tissue that prevents the clotting of blood and is used intravenously in the treatment of thrombosis and embolism.

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