noun
also leu·co·cyte ˈlükəˌsīt, usu -īd.+V
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary leuc- + -cyte
1. : a white or colorless nucleated cell of the blood that occurs to the number of 5000 to 10,000 in each cubic millimeter of normal human blood and that is classified into two main groups comprising (1) highly phagocytic cells with densely granular cytoplasm and complexly segmented nucleus and (2) cells with nearly clear cytoplasm and simple or kidney-shaped nucleus, including some that are immunologically active — called also respectively (1) granulocyte (2) agranulocyte ; compare erythrocyte
2. : a cell (as a histiocyte) of the tissues comparable to or identical with a leukocyte of the blood