adjective
-
(of epithelium) consisting of one or more layers of flat platelike cells
-
covered with, formed of, or resembling scales
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of squamous
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin squāmōsus “covered with scales, scaly”; see squama, -ous
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.
These included tumors derived from human melanoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Close to 99% of these cases are basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
No PD-1xVEGF bispecifics have been approved in the U.S. yet, though Summit is expecting a Food and Drug Administration decision on the ivonescimab-combo in a specific type of squamous non-small cell lung cancer in November.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
The drug, INBRX-106, showed positive results in a Phase 2 trial for patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Doctors found squamous cell cancer in a small mole they removed from Ma’s face, a condition caused by too much exposure to the sun.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
