Cancer
/ˈkæŋ.sɚ/noun
A disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.
Did you know?The term 'Cancer' comes from the Latin word for 'crab', symbolizing the way tumors spread like a crab's pincers reaching out.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kan-
“to shine or to glow, indicating brightness.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
καρκίνος (karkínos)
“a crab, used to describe the shape of tumors.”
Latin
Latin
cancer
“a crab, reflecting the resemblance of the disease to a crab's claw.”
Middle English
Middle English
cancer
“the term was adopted from Latin, referring both to the zodiac sign and the disease.”
Modern English
English
cancer
“referring primarily to the disease, but still connected to the zodiac sign representing transformation.”