Carcinogen
/ˌkɑːrsɪˈnɑːdʒən/noun
A substance or agent that can cause cancer.
Did you know?Carcinogen is built from Greek karkinos, meaning “crab” or “cancer,” because tumors were thought to spread like a crab’s legs or claws gripping the body.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
karkínos
“crab; later, a malignant tumor with crab-like spreading”
Late Greek
Greek
-genēs
“born from, produced by”
19th Century
English
carcinogen
“a cancer-producing substance or agent”
Modern English
English
carcinogen
“a substance or agent that can cause cancer”
Explore more surprising origins