apheresis

American  

[uh-fer-uh-sis, af-uh-ree-sis] / əˈfɛr ə sɪs, ˌæf əˈri sɪs /

noun

1. Also the loss or omission of one or more letters or sounds at the beginning of a word, as in squire for esquire, or count for account.

2. Medicine/Medical. the withdrawal of whole blood from the body, separation of one or more components, and return by transfusion of remaining blood to the donor.

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apheresis British  

/ ˌæfəˈrɛtɪk, əˈfɪərɪsɪs /

noun

1. the omission of a letter or syllable at the beginning of a word

2. a method of collecting blood from donors that enables its different components, such as the platelets or plasma, to be separated out

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Other Word Forms

• apheretic adjective

Etymology

Origin of apheresis

1605–15; < Late Latin aphaeresis < Greek aphaíresis a taking away, equivalent to aphairé ( în ) to take away ( ap- ap- ² + haireîn to snatch) + -sis -sis

Compare meaning

How does apheresis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• apheresis vs. plasmapheresis

Example Sentences

He doesn’t use an alarm clock — he never needs one — when he wanders downstairs to chug exactly 32 ounces of water to prepare for his 8 a.m. apheresis appointment, or blood platelet donation.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2022

About a month passed between the apheresis and when the CAR T cells were ready to be infused.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2022

Putrino is now running a small study of Long Covid patients with microclots in blood plasma, testing whether apheresis, which filters blood and reinfuses it, improves their symptoms.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 15, 2022

He was then plumbed into an apheresis machine to collect the stem cells from his blood.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2022

She later joined the NIH Clinical Center, whose apheresis clinic was named in her honor after her retirement in 1990.

From Washington Post