Definitions for Cancer
ˈkæn sər; ˈkæŋ kriCan·cer

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cancer, malignant neoplastic diseasenoun

   any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream

2. Cancer, Crabnoun

   (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer

3. Cancernoun

   a small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini

4. Cancer, Cancer the Crab, Crabnoun

   the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22

5. Cancer, genus Cancernoun

   type genus of the family Cancridae

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cancernoun

   A disease in which the cells of a tissue undergo uncontrolled (and often rapid) proliferation.

2. Cancernoun

   Someone with a Cancer star sign

3. Cancernoun

   A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a crab.

4. Cancernoun

   The zodiac sign for the crab, ruled by the Moon and covering June 22 - July 22.

5. Etymology: From cancer, from καρκίνος; applied to cancerous tumors because the enlarged veins resembled the legs of a crab.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. CANCERnoun

   Etymology: cancer, Lat.

   1. A crabfish.2. The sign of the summer solstice.

   When now no more th’ alternate twins are fir’d,
   And Cancer reddens with the solar blaze,
   Short is the doubtful empire of the night. James Thomson.

   3. A virulent swelling, or sore, not to be cured.

   Any of these three may degenerate into a schirrus, and that schirrus into a cancer. Richard Wiseman.

   As when a cancer on the body feeds,
   And gradual death from limb to limb proceeds;
   So does the chilness to each vital part,
   Spread by degrees, and creeps into the heart. Joseph Addison, Ovid.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Cancernoun

   a genus of decapod Crustacea, including some of the most common shore crabs of Europe and North America, as the rock crab, Jonah crab, etc. See Crab

2. Cancernoun

   the fourth of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The first point is the northern limit of the sun's course in summer; hence, the sign of the summer solstice. See Tropic

3. Cancernoun

   a northern constellation between Gemini and Leo

4. Cancernoun

   formerly, any malignant growth, esp. one attended with great pain and ulceration, with cachexia and progressive emaciation. It was so called, perhaps, from the great veins which surround it, compared by the ancients to the claws of a crab. The term is now restricted to such a growth made up of aggregations of epithelial cells, either without support or embedded in the meshes of a trabecular framework

5. Etymology: [L. cancer, cancri, crab, ulcer, a sign of the zodiac; akin to Gr. karki`nos, Skr. karkaa crab, and prob. Skr. karkara hard, the crab being named from its hard shell. Cf. Canner, Chancre.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cancer

   Cancer, known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a broad group of various diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the body through the lymphatic system or bloodstream. Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign tumors do not grow uncontrollably, do not invade neighboring tissues, and do not spread throughout the body. There are over 200 different known cancers that afflict humans. Determining what causes cancer is complex. Many things are known to increase the risk of cancer, including tobacco use, certain infections, radiation, lack of physical activity, obesity, and environmental pollutants. These can directly damage genes or combine with existing genetic faults within cells to cause the disease. Approximately five to ten percent of cancers are entirely hereditary. Cancer can be detected in a number of ways, including the presence of certain signs and symptoms, screening tests, or medical imaging. Once a possible cancer is detected it is diagnosed by microscopic examination of a tissue sample. Cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The chances of surviving the disease vary greatly by the type and location of the cancer and the extent of disease at the start of treatment. While cancer can affect people of all ages, and a few types of cancer are more common in children, the risk of developing cancer generally increases with age. In 2007, cancer caused about 13% of all human deaths worldwide. Rates are rising as more people live to an old age and as mass lifestyle changes occur in the developing world.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cancer

   kan′sėr, n. the name for an important group of malignant tumours, divided into two groups, Carcinomata and Sarcomata, the name being now strictly used only of the former: a constellation between Gemini and Leo, and a sign of the zodiac showing the limits of the sun's course northward in summer: the typical genus of the family Cancridæ—v.i. Cancer′ate, to become cancerous.—ns. Cancerā′tion; Can′cerite, a petrified crab.—adj. Can′cerous, of or like a cancer.—adv. Can′cerously.—n. Can′cerousness.—adjs. Can′criform, Can′croid, crab-like. [L. cancer; cog. with Gr. karkinos, a crab.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cancer

   The Crab; the fourth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 21st of June, and commences the summer solstice.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cancer

   The cancer symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the cancer symbol and its characteristic.

2. cancer

   Song lyrics by cancer -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by cancer on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Arthropod Genus
   • Astrology
   • Constellation
   • Person
   • Sign
   • Zodiac

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Cancer' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2450

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Cancer' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3024

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Cancer' in Nouns Frequency: #977

Anagrams for Cancer »

1. crance

How to pronounce Cancer?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Cancer in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Cancer in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Cancer in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Cancer in a Sentence

1. Valerie Harper:

   The disease I have is quite a rare cancer and it is located in a limited area -- a very widespread area, but narrow, so a lot can happen if the cancer starts getting really aggressive, pressing on parts of the brain and causing me to lose either my speech or my ability to think, etc.

2. Liana Roodt:

   Many [colorectal cancer patients] develop stomas and have to walk around with a poo bag attached onto their stomachs. But some of those stomas can be reversed after a period of time, imagine having a poo bag attached for two to five years and dealing with a stoma when you are living in a shack with no electricity and no running water.

3. Paul Moore:

   Ellie knows what’s happening. She shares a lot, maybe even too much, she says to people, even in the grocery store, ‘My daddy has cancer.’.

4. Amanda Whatley:

   The purpose of my video today is to sort of tell you our story, talk about Katie, tell you about her cancer and her diagnosis, in hopes that you will share this video with the military families that you know that have potentially been stationed at Parris Island and lived in the Laurel Bay housing area.

5. Giovanni Caforio:

   This is an important day for cancer patients and an important day for Bristol-Myers.

Popularity rank by frequency of use