hemolyze

hemolyze — verb

  • hemolyzepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • hemolyzes3rd person singular
  • hemolyzing-ing form
  • hemolyzedpast simple

1. to intentionally or accidentally cause red blood cells to break apart and releas

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to intentionally or accidentally cause red blood cells to break apart and release their contents — typically said of a chemical, toxin, physical condition, or laboratory procedure that destroys the cell membrane of erythrocytes.

例句

The Russell's viper venom can hemolyze human red blood cells in under sixty seconds.

hemolyze + human red blood cells (medical object)

Diya hemolyzed the blood sample in the centrifuge before running the hemoglobin assay.

active transitive: person hemolyzed a sample in a lab setting

同義詞
  • lyse

    broader term — can apply to any cell lysis, not limited to red blood cells; common in molecular biology

  • rupture

    less technical but less precise; does not specify the cell-membrane-breakdown process unique to hemolysis

反義詞
  • preserve

    keeping red blood cells intact in a sample or biological context

文法句型

hemolyze + noun phrase (blood / cells / sample)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a toxin, venom, bacterium, chemical, drug, or mechanical process. The object is almost always a noun phrase referring to blood cells (erythrocytes, RBCs, cells) or a blood sample. This sense is rarely used with a human subject outside laboratory contexts; when it is, the person is acting as an agent of a deliberate procedure.

常見錯誤

❌The virus hemolyzed the liver cells.
✅The bacterial toxin hemolyzed the red blood cells.
💡hemolyze only applies to red blood cells (erythrocytes), not to other cell types.
❌The patient hemolyzed after the transfusion.
✅The donor's red blood cells hemolyzed inside the patient after the transfusion.
💡transitive hemolyze needs an agent doing the destroying, not the person experiencing it.

2. to break apart and release hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid — said of red b

2.動詞不及物C2
釋義

to break apart and release hemoglobin into the surrounding fluid — said of red blood cells whose membrane becomes damaged, whether through disease, chemical exposure, physical stress, or normal aging of a stored sample.

例句

The red blood cells hemolyzed when placed in a hypotonic salt solution.

cause: hypotonic solution — cell membrane rupture from osmotic pressure

During a transfusion reaction, donor erythrocytes may hemolyze inside the recipient's circulation.

transfusion reaction context; intransitive use

同義詞
  • lyse

    broader term for any cell breakdown; hemolyze is specific to erythrocytes

  • break down

    non-technical alternative; lacks the precision required in clinical writing

反義詞
  • remain intact

    cells staying whole and not releasing their contents

文法句型

red blood cells / erythrocytes + hemolyze

blood sample + hemolyzes

用法筆記

Subject is always red blood cells, erythrocytes, or the blood sample itself. Frequently used in passive-like constructions describing conditions under which cells break down (hypotonic, heat, mechanical stress, disease). Distinguish from sense 1: here the cells undergo the process themselves rather than being acted upon by an external agent.

常見錯誤

❌The toxin hemolyzed inside the tube.
✅The red blood cells hemolyzed when the toxin was added.
💡intransitive hemolyze describes what the cells do, not what the toxin does. Use sense 1 (transitive) for what the toxin does to the cells.