late erythroblast

orthochromatic erythroblast, oxyphilic erythroblast the final stage of the nucleated, immature erythrocyte, before nuclear loss. Typically the cytoplasm is described as acidophilic, but it still shows a faint polychromatic tint. The nucleus is small and initially may still have coarse, clumped chromatin, as in its precursor, the polychromatophilic erythroblast, but ultimately it becomes pyknotic, and appears as a deeply staining, blue-black, homogeneous structureless mass. The nucleus is often eccentric and sometimes lobulated. Called also acidophilic e., eosinophilic e., and acidophilic, eosinophilic, or orthochromatic normoblast.