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tumor

American  
[too-mer, tyoo-] / ˈtu mər, ˈtyu- /
especially British, tumour

noun

  1. a swollen part; swelling; protuberance.

  2. an uncontrolled, abnormal, circumscribed growth of cells in any animal or plant tissue; neoplasm.

  3. Archaic.

    1. inflated pride; haughtiness.

    2. pompous language; bombast.

tumor Scientific  
/ to̅o̅′mər /

  1. See neoplasm See Note at cancer

tumor Cultural  

  1. An abnormal mass of new tissue growth that serves no function in the body. Tumors are usually classified as benign or malignant and are often caused by cancer.

Other Word Forms

  • antitumor adjective
  • antitumoral adjective
  • nontumorous adjective
  • tumoral adjective
  • tumorlike adjective
  • tumorous adjective

Etymology

Origin of tumor

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin: “a swelling, swollen state,” equivalent to tum(ēre) “to swell” + -or noun suffix ( -or 1 )

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.

Removal of the tumor was scheduled for two months later, so Duong went home to his family for the weekend.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite this, scientists still have limited understanding of how drugs distribute within tumors and what controls that process.

From Science Daily

As a result, the conditions become more favorable for tumor growth and tumour metastasis.

From Science Daily

Older mice without functional Caspase-2 developed liver tumors far more often than normal mice.

From Science Daily

Why do some tumors spread while others remain localized?

From Science Daily

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.