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hirudin

[ hir-yuh-din, hir-uh-, hi-rood-n ]

noun

  1. a gray or white, water-soluble acidic polypeptide obtained from the buccal gland of leeches, used in medicine chiefly as an anticoagulant.


hirudin

/ hɪˈruːdɪn /

noun

  1. med an anticoagulant extracted from the mouth glands of leeches
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hirudin1

First recorded in 1900–05; formerly trademark
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hirudin1

C20: from Latin hirudin- , hirudo leech + -in
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Example Sentences

Hirudin, an anticoagulant derived from leeches, was essential in early human dialysis, he pointed out.

The team also found that sulfated anophelins are more effective than hirudin, a blood-thinning molecule derived from the salivary juices of leeches, which is occasionally used in clinical settings.

The thesis dealt, moreover, according to M. Pierre Quillard, who has had the courage to unearth and to analyse it, with "les organismes rudimentaires des n�ph�l�s, des hirudin�es et glossiphonies," subjects the very names of which are horrifying to the indolent lay reader.

Clotting is prevented by the injection of a harmless substance derived from leeches, known as hirudin.

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hirtellousHirudinea