Oncology
/ɒnˈkɒlədʒi/noun
The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
Did you know?The Greek word ónkos originally meant a bulk, mass, or swelling, and its medical use helped shape the modern language of tumors.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“To gather, collect, or select; the ancestral root behind Greek words associated with speaking and reasoning.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄγκος (ónkos)
“A mass, bulk, volume, or swelling.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λόγος (lógos)
“Word, account, explanation, or reason.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀγκολογία (onkología)
“The study or account of masses; formed from ónkos and -logía.”
19th Century
German
Onkologie
“The medical study of tumors or cancer.”
19th Century
English
oncology
“The medical study and treatment of tumors and cancer.”