Meanings
plural carcinomas · plural carcinomata
- countablemedicineAn invasive malignant tumour derived from epithelial tissue that tends to metastasize to other areas of the body.
- countableobsoletemedicineA form of cancer; (uncountable) cancer in general as a disease.
Take the fatteſt and fulleſt Figs you can get, lay them upon the ugly and ill favored tumor called Carcinoma, i. the Canker, ſo it be not yet exulcerat, I aſſure you it is a ſoveraine remedie, and hardly can be matched againe: […]
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXIII.] Of Peares, and the Properties Observed in Them. Of Tame Figge Trees, and Their Figges. Of the Wild Figge Tree. Of Erineus, and Other Plants, with the Medicines which They Affourd..”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 167
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekκᾰρκῐνώμᾰτᾰ
- Latincarcinōmata
- Ancient Greekκᾰρκῐ́νωμᾰ“sore, ulcer; cancer”
- Latincarcinōma“tumour; ulcer; carcinoma”
- Englishcarcinoma
Learned borrowing from Latin carcinōma (“tumour; ulcer; carcinoma”), from Ancient Greek κᾰρκῐ́νωμᾰ (kărkĭ́nōmă, “sore, ulcer; cancer”), from καρκινόω (karkinóō, “to make (something) resemble a crab”, in the mediopassive "to become cancerous; to suffer from cancer") + -μᾰ (-mă, action noun suffix). Καρκινόω is derived from καρκῐ́νος (karkĭ́nos, “crab; the zodiac sign Cancer; sore, ulcer; cancer”) (according to Paul of Aegina (c. 625 – c. 690) in his Medical Compendium in Seven Books, because the veins surrounding a cancerous tumour resemble a crab’s legs). The English word is a doublet of cancer, and may be analysed as carcino- + -oma. The plural form carcinomata is a learned borrowing from Latin carcinōmata, from Ancient Greek κᾰρκῐνώμᾰτᾰ (kărkĭnṓmătă).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سرطانة, سَرَطَان
- سرطانةinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
- سَرَطَان (saraṭān)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Basque kartzinoma
- kartzinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Bengali কার্সিনোমা
- কার্সিনোমা (karśinōma)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Catalan carcinoma
- carcinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Chinese Cantonese 癌
- 癌 (ngaam⁴)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Chinese Mandarin 癌
- 癌 (ái)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Czech karcinom
- karcinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Danish karcinom
- karcinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Dutch carcinoom
- carcinoominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Esperanto karcinomo
- karcinomoinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Estonian kartsinoom
- kartsinoominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Finnish karsinooma
- karsinoomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
French carcinome
- carcinomeinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
German Karzinom
- Karzinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Greek καρκίνωμα
- καρκίνωμα (karkínoma)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Hebrew קרצינומה
- קרצינומהinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Hungarian karcinóma
- karcinómainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Icelandic þekjuvefskrabbamein
- þekjuvefskrabbameininvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Indonesian karsinoma
- karsinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Irish carcanóma
- carcanómainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Italian carcinoma
- carcinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Japanese 癌腫
- 癌腫 (ganshu)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Korean 암종
- 암종 (amjong)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Latin carcinōma
- carcinōmainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Lithuanian karcinoma
- karcinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Norwegian Bokmål karsinom
- karsinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Persian کارسینوما
- کارسینوماinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Polish rak
- rakinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Portuguese carcinoma
- carcinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Romanian carcinom
- carcinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Russian карцино́ма
- карцино́ма (karcinóma)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Scottish Gaelic aillse
- aillseinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Spanish carcinoma
- carcinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Swedish karcinom
- karcinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Tagalog karsinoma
- karsinomainvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Thai มะเร็ง
- มะเร็ง (má-reng)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Turkish karsinom
- karsinominvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Ukrainian карцинома
- карцинома (karcynoma)invasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Urdu سرطانہ
- سرطانہinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Vietnamese ung thư biểu mô
- ung thư biểu môinvasive malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with carcinoma
Anagrams
Cite this entry
carcinoma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carcinoma
“carcinoma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carcinoma. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carcinoma,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carcinoma.
Source: carcinoma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.