Medical Term:
basophil
Pronunciation: bā′sō-fil, -fīl
Definition:
- A cell with granules that stain specifically with basic dyes.
- A phagocytic leukocyte of the blood characterized by numerous basophilic granules containing heparin, histamine, and leukotrines; except for its segmented nucleus, it is morphologically and physiologically similar to the mast cell although they originate from different stem cells in the bone marrow.
Synonym(s): basophilic
[baso- + G. philēo, to love]
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Examples: glitazone, GI cocktail, etc.
