Added 9 October 2026
cancer
/ˈkænsə/ noun
In Latin: cancer Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cancer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream.
- (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer.
- A small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini.
Origin
Borrowed from Latin cancer (“crab”), a calque of Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkínos, “crab; ulcer; cancer”), possibly cognate, applied to cancerous tumors because of a supposed resemblence between their enlarged veins and the legs of a crab. Doublet of canker and chancre.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)