Oncocytoma

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A benign or low-grade malignant tumor is composed of cells with a predominance of granular cytoplasm and is frequently located in glandular tissues such as the salivary glands and kidneys
2. This neoplasm features a high density of granular cytoplasm within its cells and can arise in various organs, primarily affecting glandular structures like those in the salivary glands and kidneys
3. A tumor characterized by granular cytoplasm predominantly found in glandular tissues, typically exhibiting benign or low-grade malignancy in locations such as kidneys and salivary glands

Etymology: Oncocytoma is a compound built from "oncocyte" plus the suffix "-oma," and the suffix carries a long Greek history of its own. In Ancient Greek, "-ōma" (from the verb "-oō") formed nouns naming the result of an action, and it passed into Latin and then into English as the standard ending for tumours and growths. So the word's second half is ancient, while the first half is a much more recent piece of scientific vocabulary. The "oncocyte" part, which denotes the cell type with abundant granular cytoplasm, is the element that gives the term its specific meaning. Put together, "oncocytoma" names a neoplasm made up of these cells, which is why the term describes tissue under the microscope rather than a single organ. It most often turns up in glandular organs such as the salivary glands and kidneys.