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polycythemia

Syllabification: (pol·y·cy·the·mi·a)
(British polycythaemia)
Definition of polycythemia

noun

Medicine
  • an abnormally increased concentration of hemoglobin in the blood, through either reduction of plasma volume or increase in red cell numbers. It may be a primary disease of unknown cause, or a secondary condition linked to respiratory or circulatory disorder or cancer.

Origin:

mid 19th century: from modern Latin polycythaemia, from poly- 'many' + -cyte 'cell' + Greek haima 'blood' + -ia1

polycythemia in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of polycythemia in the British & World English dictionary