cancer
noun
Irish Digest
Did you know?
The Latin word cancer, meaning “crab,” was also given as a name to several diseases. One of the diseases was the abnormal, spreading mass of tissue we call a tumor. A possible explanation for this extended use of cancer is that the Romans thought some tumors looked like many-legged crabs. A French descendant of this Latin word was borrowed into English as canker. It is now applied to several plant and animal disorders. In the 14th century the Latin word cancer in the sense of “tumor” was borrowed directly into English, giving us our modern spelling and sense.
Examples of cancer in a Sentence
Jenna Ryu, SELF, 17 Apr. 2024
Last November, Doherty spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
Mancini seemed to have a charmed life and career, except for dying at the relatively young age of 70 of pancreatic cancer.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
Christensen, a dogged reporter beloved by colleagues for his wry humor, collegiality, graceful writing and incisive mind, but above all his humility, died of cancer Monday at his home in Long Beach.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The real-life Godfrey — the acclaimed author Keough portrays in the show — died of cancer just weeks before filming began, and the cast pointed to her book as their guiding light throughout the series.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
This can result in lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and kidney disease.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The original structure, designed by Charles Coolidge Haight in French chateau style with English Gothic trim, served as the New York Cancer Hospital, a cancer treatment and research institution.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
William Kidston, a three-time Emmy-winning photographer who worked in Hollywood for decades, died March 22 of prostate cancer at his home in Denver, publicist Roger Neal announced.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cancer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancer. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cancer
noun
Middle English Cancer "'Crab' star group," from Latin cancer "crab, cancer (disease)"; sense 3 directly from Latin cancer "crab, cancer" — related to canker, chancre
Medical Definition
cancer
noun
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