tumor
Americannoun
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a swollen part; swelling; protuberance.
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an uncontrolled, abnormal, circumscribed growth of cells in any animal or plant tissue; neoplasm.
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Archaic.
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inflated pride; haughtiness.
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pompous language; bombast.
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tumor
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin: “a swelling, swollen state,” equivalent to tum(ēre) “to swell” + -or noun suffix ( see -or 1)
Explanation
A tumor is a growth — a mass of tissue — that has no function. Tumors can be harmless (benign) or harmful (malignant), but they are never any fun. When a bunch of cells form a new growth in or on an animal, and those cells have no purpose, the result is a tumor. The word tumor comes directly from Latin word for “swelling.” Tumors can be big or small, harmless or harmful. Benign tumors are not a cause for concern, but a malignant tumor is serious and could be cancerous. A doctor must test a tumor to see which kind it is.
Vocabulary lists containing tumor
"Fine?" Vocabulary from the short story
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Slam!
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Featuring appearances by Björk, Yves Tumor and others, it explores mystical themes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
We did an Yves Tumor music video and I was like, “no one is doing indie sleaze right now, I’m going to cover a pair of jeans in the Strokes patches, that’ll be so weird!”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024
Ph.D., director of the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program and a co-author of the paper.
From Science Daily • May 1, 2024
The condition is relatively rare; the National Brain Tumor Society estimated that more than 14,490 Americans were expected to receive a glioblastoma diagnosis in 2023.
From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2024
Discovery of Tumor "There is always too much time before an unpleasant event; too much, yet not near enough."
From Through these Eyes The courageous struggle to find meaning in a life stressed with cancer by Isaacson, Lauren Ann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
