Neurofibroma

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A benign tumor that grows from the sheath and supporting tissue of nerves, often appearing as soft lumps under the skin
2. A noncancerous growth arising from the fibrous and nerve-supporting cells surrounding peripheral nerves, typically forming small swellings on the body
3. An encapsulated or diffuse tumor composed of nerve sheath cells and connective tissue, commonly associated with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis

Etymology: Neurofibroma is a medical coinage, built from two pieces that were each assembled from Greek roots long before anyone needed this word. The first part, "neuro-", comes from Ancient Greek "neûron", which meant "sinew" or "tendon" as well as "nerve". Doctors took that element and used it for anything to do with the nervous system. The second part, "fibroma", is a tumour made of fibrous tissue, and its own ending, "-oma", comes from the Greek suffix "-ōma", used to name growths and swellings. Put together, the word describes a fibrous tumour growing on a nerve. The combining form "neuro-" in English is a modern construction, so nobody in antiquity would have recognised "neurofibroma" as a term, even though every piece of it is classical. The compound is simply a descriptive label assembled from known parts, which is how much of modern medical vocabulary was made.