leukemia: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Medical/Technical, Academic, Formal
Quick answer
What does “leukemia” mean?
A type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, characterized by the overproduction of abnormal white blood cells.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, characterized by the overproduction of abnormal white blood cells.
A serious, often life-threatening disease of the blood-forming tissues that can lead to anemia, bleeding, and increased risk of infection; sometimes used metaphorically to describe something that spreads destructively within a system.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling: 'leukaemia' (UK) vs. 'leukemia' (US). Pronunciation follows the spelling difference, with the UK version retaining the 'ae' diphthong.
Connotations
Identical serious medical connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally frequent in medical contexts in both regions. The American spelling is increasingly seen internationally in scientific publications.
Grammar
How to Use “leukemia” in a Sentence
[Patient] was diagnosed with leukemia.[Research] is focused on a cure for leukemia.[Treatment] aims to put the leukemia into remission.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “leukemia” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The research aims to understand what causes the blood to leukaemise.
- (Note: 'leukaemise' is extremely rare and technical.)
American English
- The study investigated factors that may leukemize progenitor cells.
- (Note: 'leukemize' is extremely rare and technical.)
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverbial form. Periphrasis used: 'in a leukaemic manner' is not standard.)
American English
- (No standard adverbial form. Periphrasis used: 'behaving leukemically' is not standard.)
adjective
British English
- The leukaemic cells were isolated for analysis.
- They reviewed the leukaemia research funding.
American English
- The leukemic blast count was high.
- She is a leading leukemia specialist.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in pharmaceutical or healthcare business contexts (e.g., 'The company is developing a new leukemia drug.').
Academic
Common in medical, biological, and public health research papers and textbooks.
Everyday
Used in serious conversations about health, illness, and charity fundraising (e.g., 'He's raising money for leukemia research.').
Technical
The primary context, with sub-classifications like ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), CLL, AML, CML.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “leukemia”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “leukemia”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “leukemia”
- Misspelling: 'leukeima', 'lukemia'.
- Mispronunciation: /luːˈkɛ.mi.ə/ (with a short 'e').
- Using it as a countable noun incorrectly (e.g., 'a leukemia' is less common than 'a type of leukemia').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, leukemia is one specific type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow and affects white blood cells.
There is no difference in meaning. 'Leukaemia' is the British English spelling, while 'leukemia' is the American English spelling. The pronunciation is virtually identical.
Some types of leukemia can be cured, especially certain forms found in children. Others can be managed as chronic conditions for many years. Treatment success depends heavily on the specific type, stage, and patient factors.
No, leukemia is not contagious. It is a genetic disease of the body's own cells and cannot be spread from person to person like a virus or bacteria.
A type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, characterized by the overproduction of abnormal white blood cells.
Leukemia is usually medical/technical, academic, formal in register.
Leukemia: in British English it is pronounced /luːˈkiː.mi.ə/, and in American English it is pronounced /luːˈkiː.mi.ə/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'LEU' (like leucocyte, a white blood cell) + 'KEMIA' (like in 'blood' -emia). Leukemia is a disease of the white blood cells in the blood.
Conceptual Metaphor
Often conceptualized as a BATTLE or FIGHT ('battle leukemia'), an INVADER ('the leukemia spread'), or a SYSTEM FAILURE ('the bone marrow's production system malfunctioned').
Practice
Quiz
Which spelling is standard in British English?