The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
blood type
One of many groups into which a person’s blood can be categorized, based on the presence or absence of specific antigens in the blood. Blood type is inherited.
‡ Blood transfusions can be given only between donors and recipients who have compatible types; if the types are not compatible, the blood of the recipient forms antibodies against the blood of the donor. There are four basic groupings—A, B, AB, and O—and within these groupings, the Rh factor may be present or absent.
