an abnormally large red blood cell precursor, present in certain types of anaemia
Derived forms
megaloblastic (ˌmɛɡələʊˈblæstɪk)
adjective
megaloblast in American English
(ˈmeɡələˌblæst)
noun
Pathology
an abnormally large, immature, and dysfunctional red blood cell found in the blood of persons with pernicious anemia or certain other disorders
Derived forms
megaloblastic
adjective
Word origin
[1895–1900; megalo- + -blast]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: backstage, cutback, flamenco, hit-and-run, neon-blast is a suffix meaning “bud, sprout,” “embryo,” “formative cells or cell layer”. Otherwords that use the affix -blast include: colloblast, mesoblast, myoblast, odontoblast, trophoblast