Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause the clumping together of red blood cells: This is a technical term used in biology and medicine to describe the process where red blood cells (erythrocytes) agglutinate, or clump together, typically as a result of an antigen-antibody reaction or the action of certain viruses or proteins.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The influenza virus can hemagglutinate human red blood cells in laboratory tests.
  • Scientists observed the antibody hemagglutinate the erythrocytes, confirming its specificity.
  • To diagnose the infection, they checked if the patient's serum would hemagglutinate the test cells.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in scientific, medical, and laboratory contexts. The phenomenon it describes is a critical step in many diagnostic assays and in studying viral mechanisms.
  • The lectin's ability to hemagglutinate was quantified using a serial dilution assay.

Variants and Related Words

• Hemagglutination (noun): The process or result of red blood cells clumping together.
  • Hemagglutination is the basis for the blood typing test.
• Hemagglutinin (noun): A substance, such as a viral protein or antibody, that causes hemagglutination.
  • The viral hemagglutinin binds to receptors on the red blood cell surface.

Synonyms

• Agglutinate (verb): To cause particles to clump together. While "agglutinate" is a broader term, "hemagglutinate" is specific to red blood cells.
  • The antibody can agglutinate the bacterial cells.

Notes on Meaning

• Specificity: "Hemagglutinate" is highly specific. It does not refer to general clotting or coagulation of blood, but specifically to the clumping of red blood cells themselves, often in a test tube or petri dish.
• Mechanism: The clumping is typically due to cross-linking, where molecules (like antibodies or viral proteins) bind to multiple red blood cells at once, sticking them together.

Verb

1. cause the clumping together (of red blood cells)