Vinblastines

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural form of vinblastine, a cytotoxic alkaloid drug derived from the periwinkle plant and used in treating certain cancers
2. Several forms of the anticancer agent vinblastine, a plant-derived alkaloid that interferes with cell division in tumors
3. Doses or types of the periwinkle-derived chemotherapy compound vinblastine, used to halt the growth of some malignant cells

Etymology: "Vinblastines" is simply the plural of "vinblastine," the name of a chemotherapy drug. The singular is a contraction of "vincaleucoblastine," a name built from pieces that record where the compound came from. "Vinca" refers to the periwinkle plant, the genus Catharanthus roseus (formerly Vinca rosea), whose alkaloids were studied for their effects on white blood cells. "Leuco-" is the Greek-derived prefix meaning "white," and "blastine" points to the cell-forming, blast-related chemistry of the compound. The long original name was shortened into the familiar form, so the plural simply follows the regular English pattern of adding "-s" to a noun.