Haemophilic

/ˌhiːməˈfɪlɪk/ adjective

Definition

Relating to, affected by, or characteristic of hemophilia or organisms that require blood to grow.

Etymology

From haemophilia + '-ic' (relating to or characterized by). The suffix '-ic' transforms the noun into an adjective describing things that have the quality or trait of the root word.

Kelly Says

The word 'haemophilic' is cleverly overloaded in medicine—it describes both people with bleeding disorders AND bacteria like Haemophilus influenzae that 'love' blood and need it to grow, showing how the same root can apply to totally different biological contexts.

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