Neoplastic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells that form a tumor or mass in body tissue
2. Pertaining to the formation of new, abnormal tissue growths that can lead to tumors or other masses within living organisms
3. Concerning the development of unusual cell proliferation that characterizes tumors or pathogenic masses in various tissues

Etymology: "Neoplastic" is built from "neo-", from Ancient Greek "néos" meaning "new", and "plastic", which comes from Ancient Greek "plássein" meaning "to mould or form". The adjective "plastic" passed into English through Latin "plasticus" and Greek "plastikos", a word about the art of shaping things, so the older sense of "plastic" is about moulding and forming rather than the material we now call plastic. Put together, "neoplastic" literally means "newly formed", and that is exactly what it describes: the production of new tissue. Medical writers use it for growths that form when cells multiply without the normal controls on their growth, which is why it is applied to tumours and other masses in the body. The combination is a modern technical coinage built from classical parts, not a term the ancient Greeks themselves used for disease.

Synonyms: tumorous, malignant, benign