Meanings
plural vincristines
- countableuncountablebiochemistryA cytotoxic compound C₄₆H₅₆N₄O₁₀ of the alkaloid class obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle and used especially in the form of its sulfate to treat acute leukemia and other cancers.
Although originally intended as an antidiabetic, vincristine at small doses was found to kill leukemia cells.
2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), pages 139–140
Synonyms & antonyms
nounperiwinkle plant derivative used as an antineoplastic drug (trade name Oncovin); used to treat cancer of the lymphatic system
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From vin- (“vinca alkaloid”) + Latin crista (“tuft of leaves on plants”) + English -ine.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vincristine
All rhymes →Cite this entry
vincristine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vincristine
“vincristine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vincristine. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vincristine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vincristine.
Source: vincristine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.