tumor

B2 Topic:The Human Body

Also spelled tumours

US /tuː.məɹ/ UK /tjuː.mə/ See IPA manual

Freq #6361

Meanings

1

noun
An abnormal lump of tissue that grows in or on the body and can be harmful.

The doctors removed a benign tumor from her arm.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an abnormal lump of tissue... growth mass neoplasm

Word family

Forms tumors

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

benign tumor
an abnormal growth of tissue that is not cancer

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English tumour, from Old French tumour, from Latin tumor (“swelling”), from tumeō (“bulge, swell”, verb), from Proto-Italic *tumēō, from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Related to English thumb.

*tewh₂- Proto-Indo-European tumour Middle English tumor Latin *tumēō Proto-Italic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# tumor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /tuː.məɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /tjuː.mə/
**Frequency rank:** 6361

## Meanings
1. An abnormal lump of tissue that grows in or on the body and can be harmful.

## Examples
- The doctors removed a benign tumor from her arm.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *tewh₂-
- Root: tumour
- Root: tumor
- Root: *tumēō

## Etymology
From Middle English tumour, from Old French tumour, from Latin tumor (“swelling”), from tumeō (“bulge, swell”, verb), from Proto-Italic *tumēō, from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Related to English thumb.

## AI Etymology
Tumor is from Middle English tumour, from Old French tumour, from Latin tumor (“swelling”), from tumeō (“bulge, swell”, verb), from Proto-Italic *tumēō, from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Related to English thumb. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂-, Middle English tumour, Old French tumour, Latin tumor, Proto-Italic *tumēō. In present-day use, it can mean an abnormal lump of tissue that grows in or on the body and can be harmful.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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