tumor
Pluraltumors
UK spellingtumour
- 1An abnormal mass or swelling in the body, which on diagnosis may prove to be a neoplasm, an abscess, or tissue metaplasia.
After removing the tumor, the surgeon sent it to the lab for analysis.
Some tumors stay harmless, while others spread to surrounding organs.
Similargrowth, neoplasm, mass, lump
Note
At root the word means only "swelling": Latin tumor, from tumeō "to swell", from the same Indo-European root that gave English thumb. That older breadth explains the clinical caution, since a swelling might prove to be an abscess rather than neoplasia. In everyday use it pairs with benign and malignant, or names a site, as in brain tumor. Tumor is the US spelling; the older tumour keeps the Old French form.
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Origin
From Middle English tumour, borrowed through Old French tumour from Latin tumor ("swelling"), which came from the verb tumeō ("to bulge, swell"). This traces back through Proto-Italic to a Proto-Indo-European root *tewh₂- ("to swell"), and is related to English thumb.