leukaemia

British

/ luːˈkiːmɪə /

noun

an acute or chronic disease characterized by a gross proliferation of leucocytes, which crowd into the bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes, etc, and suppress the blood-forming apparatus

"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

Etymology

Origin of leukaemia

C19: from _leuco- + Greek haima blood

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bellamy-Rose, who lives in Feltwell, Norfolk, was given the all-clear in November after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2023.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

His death from leukaemia when she was just 13 had a profound effect on King, who also saw her mother held back by their circumstances.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

In summer 2022 Aria was diagnosed with leukaemia, aged three, and the family were thrust into a world of long hospital stays and regular travel.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Her seven-year-old daughter Gracie had over two years of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, after she was diagnosed at the age of three.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Causes.—It comes from malaria, syphilis or leukaemia, etc.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023