Chemotherapy
/ˌkiː.moʊˈθer.ə.pi/noun
The treatment of disease, especially cancer, with chemical substances that destroy or inhibit abnormal cells.
Did you know?The word’s chemical component ultimately passed through medieval Arabic al-kīmiyāʾ, linking modern cancer treatment linguistically to the historical tradition of alchemy.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khēmeía
“The art of transforming substances; the source of later alchemy and chemistry terms”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-kīmiyāʾ
“The alchemy; literally, “the alchemy” with the Arabic definite article al-”
17th Century
New Latin
chemia
“Chemistry or the study of material substances”
19th Century
German
Chemotherapie
“Treatment using chemical agents”
Early 20th Century
English
chemotherapy
“Treatment of disease with chemical substances”
Modern English
English
chemotherapy
“Drug treatment designed to destroy or inhibit diseased, especially cancerous, cells”