Where does “cancer” come from?
Cancer derives from Latin cancer, which developed from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, a root meaning to cut or scratch, referring to the disease's crab-like appearance and destructive nature.
cancer (English): A disease in which the cells of a tissue undergo...
Definitions
- A disease in which the cells of a tissue undergo...
Ancestry of “cancer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | cancro | cancer |
| 2 | Latin | cancer | a crab; a tumor, cancer; a lattice, grid, or... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | kankros | crab |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | karkros | enclosure, barrier |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥-kr̥- | circular |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
Words derived from “cancer”