Adenocarcinoma
/ˌædɪnoʊˌkɑːrsɪˈnoʊmə/noun
A malignant tumor arising from glandular epithelial tissue.
Did you know?Carcinoma ultimately comes from Ancient Greek karkínōma, derived from a word for crab, because some tumors were imagined to have crab-like projections gripping surrounding tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
adḗn
“Gland”
Ancient Greek
Greek
karkínos
“Crab; also a malignant tumor, from the tumor’s spreading appearance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
karkínōma
“A cancerous growth or tumor”
17th Century
New Latin
carcinoma
“A malignant tumor or cancer”
19th Century
New Latin
adeno- + carcinoma
“A carcinoma associated with glandular tissue”
Modern English
English
adenocarcinoma
“A malignant tumor originating in gland-forming or glandular epithelial tissue”