pheresis: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowTechnical/Medical
Quick answer
What does “pheresis” mean?
A medical procedure involving the separation and removal of specific components from blood, returning the remainder to the donor or patient.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A medical procedure involving the separation and removal of specific components from blood, returning the remainder to the donor or patient.
A broader term for any apheresis procedure (like plasmapheresis, leukapheresis), also used in linguistics to describe the loss of a sound or letter from the beginning of a word (e.g., 'round' from 'around'). The medical sense is dominant.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is identical.
Connotations
None specific to either variety.
Frequency
Equally rare and technical in both British and American English, confined to medical journals and specific clinical contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “pheresis” in a Sentence
The patient underwent [pheresis] for the condition.[Pheresis] was performed to collect stem cells.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “pheresis” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The team will pherese the donor tomorrow.
American English
- They need to pherese the patient to manage the myeloma.
adjective
British English
- The pheresis product was sent for analysis.
American English
- She is on a pheresis schedule every two weeks.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Used in medical and clinical linguistics research papers.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
Standard term in hematology, transfusion medicine, and immunology.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “pheresis”
- Misspelling as 'feresis' or 'phereisis'.
- Using it as a general term for any blood test.
- Confusing it with dialysis.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Dialysis filters waste from blood when kidneys fail. Pheresis separates and removes specific blood cells or plasma.
Yes. Donor pheresis (e.g., plateletpheresis) is common to collect specific components while returning the rest to the donor.
Etymologically, yes—both come from Greek 'aphairein' (to take away). But in modern usage, they are distinct specialized terms.
Typically 1 to 3 hours, depending on the type (plasmapheresis, leukapheresis, etc.) and the patient's or donor's physiology.
A medical procedure involving the separation and removal of specific components from blood, returning the remainder to the donor or patient.
Pheresis is usually technical/medical in register.
Pheresis: in British English it is pronounced /fɪˈriːsɪs/, and in American English it is pronounced /fəˈriːsɪs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Pheresis' sounds like 'freeze us'—imagine freezing and separating blood components.
Conceptual Metaphor
BLOOD IS A MIXTURE TO BE FILTERED.
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'pheresis' most commonly used?