Radiotherapy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A therapeutic method that utilizes ionizing radiation to eradicate malignant tissues and minimize tumor progression
2. A clinical approach involving the application of radiation to treat neoplasms and reduce their size or spread
3. A medical treatment employing ionizing radiation to destroy cancer cells and hinder tumor growth while assisting in symptom relief

Etymology: Radiotherapy is a compound built from two pieces with quite different ancestries. The first, "radio-", comes from Latin "radius", meaning a ray or spoke of a wheel, which is also the root of the word for radiation generally. The second, "therapy", goes back to ancient Greek "therapeía", a word for medical care and attendance, and its older base "therápōn" meant an attendant or servant. So the sense of "healing" was present in Greek long before anyone thought of rays. The Greek element reached English through New Latin "therapia", a term that scholars used in the early modern period for medical treatment, and "therapy" arrived in English from that route. The combination with "radio-" is a modern coinage, formed simply by attaching the two elements together, which is why the word reads as a plain description: treatment by means of radiation.

Synonyms: radiation therapy, radiation treatment