leukemia

noun

leu·​ke·​mia lü-ˈkē-mē-ə 

: an acute or chronic disease in humans and other warm-blooded animals characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues and often in the blood

leukemic

lü-ˈkē-mik 

adjective or noun

Examples of leukemia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There, blood work was done and he was diagnosed with a blood cancer known as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023

Then his son, Teddy, died of leukemia at 9 in 1955. —Paul Glader, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

Yet for the 21-year-old leukemia survivor and thousands of other disabled students across the University of California and California State University systems, the program is a critical victory in a decades-long battle for visibility and recognition. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023

Kymriah was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 to treat leukemia in children and young adults. —Katie Mogg, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023

All are battling lymphoma, leukemia and tumors that doctors said could kill them if left untreated. —Erica L. Green, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023

And often, as was the case with imatinib, the $800 leukemia drug, the discounts still don’t make the cost of a regular prescription affordable for the consumer. —Lauren Larson, Men's Health, 7 Sep. 2023

Rosalynn was 13 when her father died of leukemia, and her mother was left with an insurance policy that paid $18.75 a month. —Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023

When Rosalynn was 13 years old, her father died of leukemia, leaving her mother to provide for the family. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing leukemia

• lymphocytic leukemia
• hairy cell leukemia
• myelogenous leukemia

• lymphocytic leukemia
• hairy cell leukemia
• myelogenous leukemia

Kids Definition

leukemia

noun

leu·​ke·​mia lü-ˈkē-mē-ə 

: a disease of warm-blooded animals including human beings that is a kind of cancer in which there is an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues and often in the blood

leukemic

-mik 

adjective

Medical Definition

leukemia

noun

leu·​ke·​mia lü-ˈkē-mē-ə 

variants also leucemia

lü-ˈkē- also lü-ˈsē-

or chiefly British leukaemia also leucaemia

: an acute or chronic disease of unknown cause in humans and other warm-blooded animals that involves the blood-forming organs, is characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues of the body with or without a corresponding increase of those in the circulating blood, and is classified according to the type of white blood cell most prominently involved see acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, feline leukemia, lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphocytic leukemia, monocytic leukemia, myelogenous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia