Short for bleomycin, a chemotherapy drug used in cancer treatment that works by damaging DNA and preventing cancer cells from dividing.
Abbreviation of bleomycin, derived from Streptomyces verticillus, the bacterium from which it was isolated. The prefix 'bleo-' relates to the ancient Greek 'blenna' (slime), referencing its organic origins.
Bleo is a brutal weapon: it was discovered in soil bacteria and literally shreds cancer cell DNA, but the shorthand name 'bleo' makes this poisonous, life-saving drug sound casual—modern medicine's way of making the terrifying manageable.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.