Heparinize

/ˈhɛpərɪˌnaɪz/ verb

Definition

To treat a patient or a medical sample with heparin to prevent blood from clotting.

Etymology

From 'heparin' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ize' (to make or treat with something). This term became standard medical vocabulary in the 20th century as heparin became widely used.

Kelly Says

When doctors heparinize a blood sample, they're essentially time-freezing the blood's chemistry—without it, donated blood tubes would clot immediately and become useless for testing!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.