leukemia
Meaning
A serious disease in which the body produces too many white blood cells, which prevents the normal production of other blood cells and can cause death.
Structure
Usage
The child was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Advances in chemotherapy have significantly improved survival rates for some forms of leukemia.
A bone marrow transplant can be a potential cure for certain leukemia patients.
Etymology
The term leukemia is a modern scientific compound formed directly from ancient Greek roots. It literally translates to "white blood," a name coined by German pathologist Rudolf Virchow in 1847. He observed the characteristic pale, pus-like appearance of the blood from affected patients under the microscope, which was caused by a massive overabundance of white blood cells. The Greek root leukos (white) evolved from the Proto-Indo-European root leuk-, meaning "light, brightness," connecting the pallor of the diseased blood to the concept of light. The suffix -emia, from Greek haima (blood), has been used since antiquity to form words describing blood disorders, solidifying the term's precise medical meaning as a condition of the blood defined by its abnormal whiteness.
Analysis
- leuk: From Greek leukos, meaning "white, bright, clear". It functions as a combining form denoting whiteness. - emia: From Greek -aimia, from haima meaning "blood". It functions as a suffix denoting a condition of the blood.