Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

heme

/hiːm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.47 in modern English

Syllables: heme
IPA: /hiːm/

9

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The component of hemoglobin (and other hemoproteins) responsible for binding oxygen. It consists of an iron ion that binds oxygen and a porphyrin ring that binds the globin molecules; one molecule binds one molecule of oxygen.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The binding of oxygen to the iron molecule causes the hemoglobin molecule to undergo conformational changes that affect the binding of oxygen to other heme sites."
"Impossible's breakthrough was in discovering that meat's essence comes from heme—the iron-rich molecule in blood that carries oxygen and is responsible for the deep-red color."

Etymology

Back-formation from hemoglobin.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /hiːm/
British English: /hiːm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hemes (plural) haem (alternative, UK) haeme (alternative, UK)

Derived Forms

decaheme deoxyheme diheme ferriheme ferroheme hemelike hemeprotein hemic monoheme multiheme nonheme octaheme

Phrases

red blood cell

Frequently Paired Words

hemoglobin bilirubin red blood cell

Synonyms

haem hematin haematin protoheme

Homonyms

haem

Rhymes With

team a team seem dream prime supreme cream stream on stream extreme scheme steam

Questions

How do you pronounce heme?: The recorded pronunciation is /hiːm/.
What does heme mean?: The component of hemoglobin (and other hemoproteins) responsible for binding oxygen. It consists of an iron ion that binds oxygen and a porphyrin ring that binds the globin molecules; one molecule binds one molecule of oxygen.
Where does heme come from?: Back-formation from hemoglobin.

How to pronounce heme

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “heme”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/hiːm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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