Myxoma
/mɪkˈsoʊ.mə/noun
A benign tumor made of gelatinous connective tissue, or a related disease-causing mass in animals.
Did you know?Myxoma comes from Greek roots for “mucus” or “slime,” and the same ancient base also gave English words like mucus, mucus-like myx-, and mycology’s cousin myxoid in medical language.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μύξα (mýxa)
“mucus, slime, nasal discharge”
Late Greek
Greek
μύξωμα (mýxōma)
“a slimy or mucous mass”
19th Century
Medical Latin
myxoma
“a gelatinous tumor composed of connective tissue”
Modern English
English
myxoma
“a benign gelatinous tumor; in veterinary use, a disease-causing tumor-like growth”