Standard Lemma guide

paclitaxel

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌpak.lɪˈtak.sɛl/
  • General-American: /ˌpæk.lɪˈtæk.sl̩/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A taxane antineoplastic drug C47H51NO14 originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, but now typically derived as a semisynthetic product of the English yew; it interferes with microtubule function and inhibits cell division, and is used in the treatment of some cancers, especially those of the breast and ovary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Pac(ific yew) + Latin (brevifo)li(a) + -taxel (“alteration of taxol”).