The large multinucleate macrophage indicated by the arrow in this BAL is a histiocyte.
Notice the similar cytoplasmic characteristics, chromatin texture, and staining between the histiocyte and macrophages. In fact, the terms "histiocyte" and "macrophage" are sometimes used interchangeably. The choice of which term to use can be institution- and pathologist-dependent. Some institutions designate large multinuclear macrophages as histiocytes.
