haemophilia
Haemophilia (noun) means a hereditary condition, usually passed from a mother to her son, in which the body cannot properly control bleeding. Example: “He was diagnosed with haemophilia shortly after birth.”
How to use haemophilia
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA condition, usually inherited, that stops blood from clotting properly so bleeding is hard to stop.
Haemophilia is a clinical, medical term rather than everyday vocabulary.
Remember the Commonwealth spelling keeps the 'ae', while American English writes it as hemophilia.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He was diagnosed with _____ shortly after birth.
Etymology
The word joins haemo-, referring to blood, with -philia. Haemo- comes from the Ancient Greek word for blood, and -philia from the Ancient Greek word for friendship or fondness. It was originally called haemorrhaphilia, a name likely built from the word haemorrhage.
