bilirubin

[prettygoodword]

bilirubin (BIL-uh-roo-bin, bil-uh-ROO-bin) - n., a yellowish-red product of the breakdown of the heme portion of hemoglobin.


Said breakdown taking place in the liver and expressed as part of bile in the gall bladder. High levels of bilirubin in the blood causes the yellowish appearance of jaundice, and can be caused by many conditions. Borrowed in 1871 from German Bilirubin, coined in 1864 from Latin bīli(s), bile + rub(er), red + -in, noun suffix for chemical compounds.

---L.

Comments

[calenorn.livejournal.com]

Billy Reuben would be a great name for a menacing southern lawman.

"You in a heap o' trouble, boy!"

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I thought he was a baseball player from the 40s through 60s.

---L.