cord blood: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowMedical/Technical
Quick answer
What does “cord blood” mean?
The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born.
Blood rich in hematopoietic stem cells, collected at birth and often stored in a cord blood bank for potential future medical use, particularly in stem cell transplants for treating various blood diseases and immune disorders.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences; both varieties use the same term. Minor potential differences in phrasing, e.g., 'store cord blood' (common in both) vs. 'bank cord blood' (slightly more common in US medical marketing).
Connotations
In both regions, it strongly connotes modern medical science, preventative healthcare, and family planning. It is a technical term with no informal variants.
Frequency
Frequency is equally low and specialised in both dialects, confined primarily to medical, parenting, and healthcare contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “cord blood” in a Sentence
N/A for compound nounVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cord blood” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The parents decided to bank the cord blood privately.
American English
- The family chose to store the cord blood with a biobank.
adjective
British English
- The cord-blood donation process is straightforward.
American English
- They discussed cord-blood banking options with their doctor.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in the context of biobanking services and healthcare companies: 'The firm offers private cord blood storage.'
Academic
Used in medical and biological research papers: 'The study analysed hematopoietic progenitors in cord blood.'
Everyday
Used in parenting discussions and healthcare advice: 'We're considering donating our baby's cord blood.'
Technical
Precise term in obstetrics, hematology, and transplant medicine: 'The cord blood unit was cryopreserved for future allogeneic transplant.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cord blood”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cord blood”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cord blood”
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a cord blood' is incorrect; it's 'a cord blood sample' or 'a unit of cord blood').
- Confusing it with 'cord tissue', which is a different biological material.
- Misspelling as 'chord blood'.
- Using incorrect prepositions: 'blood in the cord' is descriptive, but the fixed term is 'cord blood'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is the baby's blood, but it is specifically the blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth, and it is particularly rich in stem cells.
It is used primarily in stem cell transplants to treat diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and certain genetic disorders of the blood and immune system.
Private cord blood banking involves initial collection fees and ongoing annual storage costs, which can be significant. Public donation is usually free.
Yes (autologous transplant), but it is more commonly used for siblings or unrelated recipients (allogeneic transplant) because the cells are a genetic match. Using one's own cord blood is not effective for genetic diseases present at birth.
The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born.
Cord blood is usually medical/technical in register.
Cord blood: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːd blʌd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːrd blʌd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine the UMBILICAL CORD being clamped and cut, and the BLOOD inside it being collected in a special bag. CORD + BLOOD = the precious blood from the cord.
Conceptual Metaphor
CORD BLOOD IS A BIOLOGICAL INSURANCE POLICY / CORD BLOOD IS A SOURCE (of life-saving cells).
Practice
Quiz
What is 'cord blood' primarily valued for?