adjective
-
(of epithelium) consisting of one or more layers of flat platelike cells
-
covered with, formed of, or resembling scales
Other Word Forms
- squamosely adverb
- squamoseness noun
- squamously adverb
- squamousness noun
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.
"It turned out that I have P16 squamous carcinoma at the base of my tongue. So I said to the doctors, 'Well, did this happen because of the lymphoma?' And they said, 'Totally unrelated.'"
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
“It turned out that I have P16 squamous carcinoma at the base of my tongue.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
They tracked each patient's next diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2025
Mr. Kildee was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer.
From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023
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.
