whole blood

[ hohl bluhd hohl bluhd ]

noun

1. blood directly from the body, from which none of the components have been removed, used in transfusions.
2. relationship between persons through both parents.

whole blood

noun

1. blood obtained from a donor for transfusion from which none of the elements has been removed

whole blood

/ hōl /

1. Blood from which no constituent, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, or platelets, has been removed. Whole blood is commonly obtained through blood donation and can be transfused directly or broken down into blood components that can be transfused separately.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whole blood¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

During the 12 months of the experiment, one group of firefighters donated plasma every six weeks; a second group donated whole blood every 12 weeks; and the final group did not donate blood at all.

From Salon

“Alright, starting whole blood over here,” someone else replied.

From Seattle Times

Because he donates platelets, he can give more frequently than someone donating “whole blood,” which includes platelets, plasma and red blood cells.

From Seattle Times

“Once we are able to optimize the oxygen carrying component, putting all the pieces together to trial synthetic whole blood will be the next big step,” Doctor said.

From Washington Post

Blood plasma makes up about 55 percent of whole blood.

From Washington Post