biopsy
Americannoun
plural
biopsies-
the removal for diagnostic study of a piece of tissue from a living body.
-
a specimen obtained from a biopsy.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
examination, esp under a microscope, of tissue from a living body to determine the cause or extent of a disease
-
the sample taken for such an examination
Other Word Forms
- bioptic adjective
Etymology
Origin of biopsy
Explanation
A biopsy is a sample of tissue or liquid from the body that helps determine if you have a disease. If your doctor finds a lump in part of your body, she will probably do a biopsy to see if it is cancerous or not. Bios means "life" and opsis means "see" or "sight," so a biopsy is a way for a doctor to look into your body, so to speak, by taking a sample of it. There are different kinds of biopsies, depending on where the tissue is that your doctor needs to look at. You might have a surgical biopsy or a less invasive biopsy by needle.
Vocabulary lists containing biopsy
Words to Live By: Bio
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Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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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.
But Rosie got sicker and a biopsy showed in 2024 that she did have terminal cancer.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
And I would give almost anything not to have to worry about my next set of scans or blood tests or to undergo another marrow biopsy.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
Each analysis included about 40 million fragments spanning thousands of genomic regions, producing an enormous dataset compared with most liquid biopsy tests.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026
Despite not having any symptoms, a CT scan, biopsy and MRI confirmed the disease in March 2023.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
As the first nun at Ngaliema Hospital, Sister M. E., lay dying, her doctors had decided to give her a so-called agonal biopsy.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
