ERYTHROCYTES
[noun]
(from Greek erythros for “red” and kytos for “hollow”, with cyte translated as “cell” in modern usage) also known as red blood cells, red blood corpuscles, haematids or erythroid cells. They are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate organism’s principal means of delivering oxygen (O2) to the body tissues via the blood flow through the circulatory system. They take up oxygen in the lungs or gills and release it while squeezing through the body’s capillaries. These cells’ cytoplasm is rich in haemoglobin, an iron-containing biomolecule that can bind oxygen and is responsible for the blood’s red colour.
