Oncogenicities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The potential of certain agents or factors to induce cancer through genetic mutations or cellular changes
2. The capacity of particular biological entities to cause or promote the development of tumors in living organisms
3. The ability of specific substances or environmental influences to lead to cancerous transformations in cells or tissues

Etymology: "Oncogenicities" is the plural of "oncogenicity," the noun for the quality of being oncogenic, meaning capable of causing cancer. The word is built from "oncogenic," which combines the Greek "onkos," meaning mass or bulk and used in medicine for tumours, with the suffix "-genic," from Greek "genos," meaning origin or birth, and then adds the English suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun of quality. Plural forms like this one are used when researchers compare the cancer-causing potential of several different agents or factors.