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.

See Examples For:

leukaemia

It was only when Amelia started presenting with bruises Gemma knew something wasn't right - within 10 days Amelia got her leukaemia diagnosis.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Poppy, nine, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died in 2020 from leukaemia, asked him: "What makes you laugh when you've had a difficult day?"

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

A second donation will be made to Leukaemia UK to fund a research grant which will support the development of new ideas and translate scientific advances into clinical practice for leukaemia treatment.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

The excess over the normal is in many cases small; it is said to be absent in some persons, and rarely, if ever reaches the quantity found in leukaemia.

From The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition by A. W. Duncan

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