The definition of a platelet is a cell without a nucleus and without hemoglobin that is found in the blood of mammals and is associated with the process of blood clotting.
Facts About Platelets
- Platelets are produced in the bone marrow by budding off of precursor cells known as megakaryocytes.
- They are smaller than a red blood cell.
- Platelets are present in the blood of an adult in the range of 150 to 400 million per milliliter of blood.
- The average lifespan of a platelet is about five to nine days.
- A low platelet count will result in excessive bleeding.
- Production of platelets can be interrupted by a host of processes including diseases, cancer, chemo drugs and viral infections.
An example of a platelet is a small and irregularly-shaped cell fragment.
- any of certain round or oval, nonnucleated disks, smaller than a red blood cell and containing no hemoglobin, found in the blood of mammals and associated with the process of blood clotting
- thrombocyte (sense )
Origin of plateletplate + -let
photomicrograph of blood platelets
- (hematology, cytology) A small colorless disk-shaped particle found in the blood of mammals, which plays an important role in the formation of blood clots.