ara-c: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2/TechnicalFormal/Medical
Quick answer
What does “ara-c” mean?
A chemotherapy medication used primarily to treat acute myeloid leukemia and lymphomas.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A chemotherapy medication used primarily to treat acute myeloid leukemia and lymphomas.
A cytarabine-based antimetabolite that interferes with DNA synthesis in rapidly dividing cancer cells.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences; spelling and pronunciation identical. Both regions use 'cytosine arabinoside' as formal synonym.
Connotations
Neutral clinical term in both variants; carries associations with intensive chemotherapy regimens.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in general discourse but standard in oncology contexts in both UK and US.
Grammar
How to Use “ara-c” in a Sentence
Patient + receive + ara-cProtocol + include + ara-cara-c + cause + side effectVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “ara-c” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The ara-c component of the protocol is dose-intensive.
- She experienced typical ara-c related side effects.
American English
- The ara-C phase of treatment lasted seven days.
- Ara-C-induced fever is a common complication.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Exclusively in medical/oncological research papers.
Everyday
Only by patients, caregivers, or medical professionals discussing specific treatment.
Technical
Core terminology in oncology, hematology, pharmacology.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “ara-c”
Strong
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “ara-c”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “ara-c”
- Pronouncing as 'ara-see' (should be 'ara-C', letter C)
- Using without hyphen (AraC is less standard)
- Confusing with 'ara-A' (vidarabine, a different drug).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, ara-c is the common abbreviated name for the chemotherapy drug cytarabine.
The name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an arabinoside derivative of cytosine.
Almost exclusively when personally involved with cancer treatment, either as a patient, family member, or through detailed medical news/stories.
Extremely rarely. Its use is so highly specialized that metaphorical extension is very uncommon and likely confusing.
A chemotherapy medication used primarily to treat acute myeloid leukemia and lymphomas.
Ara-c is usually formal/medical in register.
Ara-c: in British English it is pronounced /ˌærə ˈsiː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌɛrə ˈsi/ or /ˌærə ˈsi/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
ARA-C: Arabinoside Cytosine Agent for Cancer.
Conceptual Metaphor
A 'DNA impersonator' that tricks cancer cells into incorporating a faulty building block, halting their replication.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary mechanism of action of ara-c?