platelet

noun plate·let \ˈplāt-lət\

: a small, round, thin blood cell that helps blood to stop flowing from a cut by becoming thick and sticky

Full Definition of PLATELET

: a minute flattened body (as of ice or a mineral); especially : a minute colorless disklike body of mammalian blood that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium —called also blood platelet, thrombocyte

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First Known Use of PLATELET

1895

PLATELET Defined for Kids

platelet

noun plate·let \ˈplāt-lət\

Definition of PLATELET for Kids

: one of the tiny colorless disk-shaped bodies of the blood that assist in blood clotting

Medical Dictionary

platelet

noun plate·let \ˈplāt-lət\

Medical Definition of PLATELET

: a minute colorless anucleate disklike body of mammalian blood that is derived from fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm, that is released from the bone marrow into the blood, and that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium—called also blood platelet, thrombocyte