n.
Pronunciation: ˌ tha-l ə - ' s ē -m ē - ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek thalassa sea + New Latin -emia
Date: 1932
: any of a group of inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis affecting the globin chain that are characterized usually by mild to severe hemolytic anemia, are caused by a series of allelic genes, and tend to occur especially in individuals of Mediterranean, black, or southeast Asian ancestry especially : COOLEY'S ANEMIA
– thal · as · se · mic \ -mik \ adjective or noun