adjective
-
(of epithelium) consisting of one or more layers of flat platelike cells
-
covered with, formed of, or resembling scales
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
About 150,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed in 2020 with squamous non-small cell lung cancer.
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
Non-melanoma cancers like basal and squamous cell are more common but usually less likely to spread or be fatal, he said.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
“It turned out that I have P16 squamous carcinoma at the base of my tongue.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
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.
