antitumor
|an-ti-tu-mor|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈtuː.mɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈtjuː.mə/
against tumor (inhibit tumor growth)
Etymology
'antitumor' originates from a combination of elements: the prefix 'anti-' from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' and 'tumor' from Latin 'tumor' meaning 'a swelling'.
'tumor' changed from Latin 'tumor' (meaning 'a swelling') into Old French and then Middle English 'tumour', becoming modern English 'tumor/ tumour'. 'antitumor' is a modern English formation (chiefly 20th century) combining 'anti-' + 'tumor' for medical use.
Initially built from elements meaning 'against swelling', its modern usage has shifted to mean 'opposed to abnormal (neoplastic) growth' or 'inhibiting tumor growth'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an agent (such as a drug or compound) that prevents or inhibits tumor growth; an antineoplastic agent.
Researchers are developing new antitumors that target specific cancer cells.
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Adjective 1
acting to prevent, inhibit, or reduce the growth of tumors (used especially of drugs, therapies, or biological agents).
An antitumor drug showed promising results in clinical trials.
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Last updated: 2025/09/11 23:56