chemo

[ kee-moh, kem-oh ]

/ ˈki moʊ, ˈkɛm oʊ /

Save This Word!

noun, plural che·mos.Informal.

chemotherapy or a chemotherapy treatment.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chemo

By shortening; see -o

Words nearby chemo

chemisorption, chemist, chemistry, chemmy, Chemnitz, chemo, chemoattractant, chemoautotroph, chemoautroph, chemobiotic, chemocautery

Other definitions for chemo (2 of 2)

chemo-

a combining form with the meanings “chemical,” “chemically induced,” “chemistry,” used in the formation of compound words: chemotherapy.

Also especially before elements of Latin origin, chemi-. Also especially before a vowel, chem-.

Origin of chemo-

chem-, extracted from chemical or chemistry + -o- or -i-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chemo in a sentence

One of the early studies showed 40 percent improvements in three-year survival rates compared to standard chemo.
When To Stop Hoping For a COVID-19 Miracle Cure|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 4, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
For example, chemo might destroy the tumor’s outer cell layer, but the inner ones can develop resistance, so where single cells may die, a 3D mass will bounce back.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus
Only unlike real patients, the organoids can be subjected to all sorts of harsh experiments to zero in on the precise chemo cocktails that destroy them in the best possible way.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus
The chemo drugs used to treat it haven’t changed in 40 years, Plenker says.
The Cancer Custodians - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Lina Zeldovich|June 23, 2021|Nautilus

My immune system responded poorly to chemo, so the therapy had dragged on for an additional six months.
My life was upended for 35 years by a cancer diagnosis. A doctor just told me I was misdiagnosed.|Jeff Henigson|March 26, 2021|Washington Post
At the time that sounded like a great idea, but I was also about to start chemo and so that idea was temporarily put on hold.
Blogger Shares and Shames Cancer in ‘Lily’|Amy Grantham|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I would sit with her and talk while she was in chemo at UCLA,” he says.
Oh Yes, He’s The Great Connector: Jason Hirschhorn’s Expertly Curated World|Lloyd Grove|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He goes to the hospital practically every day for what he called a quick shot of chemo.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?|David Freedlander|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her body was being destroyed by chemo and I became devoted to helping her.
Ricki Lake: The ‘Weed the People’ Filmmaker on Why We Should Legalize Marijuana|Ricki Lake|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After surgery, the patients all received the standard therapy of chemo, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy.
How Big Pharma Holds Back in the War on Cancer|ProPublica|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for chemo (1 of 2)

chemo

/ (ˈkiːməʊ) /

noun

informal short for chemotherapy

British Dictionary definitions for chemo (2 of 2)

chemo-

chemi- or before a vowel chem-

combining form

indicating that chemicals or chemical reactions are involvedchemotherapy

Word Origin for chemo-

New Latin, from Late Greek khēmeia; see alchemy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for chemo (1 of 2)

chemo

[ kē′mō ]

Chemotherapy or a chemotherapeutic treatment.

Medical definitions for chemo (2 of 2)

chemo-

pref.

Chemicals; chemical:chemotherapy.