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carcinoma

[ kahr-suh-noh-muh ]
/ ˌkɑr səˈnoʊ mə /
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noun, plural car·ci·no·mas, car·ci·no·ma·ta [kahr-suh-noh-muh-tuh]. /ˌkɑr səˈnoʊ mə tə/. Pathology.
a malignant and invasive epithelial tumor that spreads by metastasis and often recurs after excision; cancer.

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Origin of carcinoma

1715–25; <Latin: ulcer, tumor <Greek karkínōma;see carcino-, -oma

OTHER WORDS FROM carcinoma

car·ci·no·ma·toid, adjectivecar·ci·no·ma·tous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carcinoma in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carcinoma

carcinoma
/ (ˌkɑːsɪˈnəʊmə) /

noun plural -mas or -mata (-mətə) pathol
any malignant tumour derived from epithelial tissue
another name for cancer (def. 1)

Derived forms of carcinoma

carcinomatoid or carcinomatous, adjective

Word Origin for carcinoma

C18: from Latin, from Greek karkinōma, from karkinos cancer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for carcinoma

carcinoma
[ kär′sə-nōmə ]

Plural carcinomas carcinomata (kär′sə-nōmə-tə)
Any of various cancerous tumors that are derived from epithelial tissue of the skin, blood vessels, or other organs and that tend to metastasize to other parts of the body. See also basal cell carcinoma squamous cell carcinoma.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for carcinoma

carcinoma
[ (kahr-suh-noh-muh) ]

A malignant tumor in the tissues that make up the skin, glands, mucous membranes, and lining of organs.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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