CANCER
Dictionary entry overview: What does Cancer mean?
• CANCER (noun)
The noun CANCER has 5 senses:
1. any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream
2. (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer
3. a small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini
4. the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22
5. type genus of the family Cancridae
Familiarity information: CANCER used as a noun is common.
Dictionary entry details
• CANCER (noun)
Meaning:
Any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
cancer; malignant neoplastic disease
Hypernyms ("cancer" is a kind of...):
malignant neoplasm; malignant tumor; metastatic tumor (a tumor that is malignant and tends to spread to other parts of the body)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cancer"):
lymphoma (a neoplasm of lymph tissue that is usually malignant; one of the four major types of cancer)
carcinoma (any malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue; one of the four major types of cancer)
cancer of the blood; leucaemia; leukaemia; leukemia (malignant neoplasm of blood-forming tissues; characterized by abnormal proliferation of leukocytes; one of the four major types of cancer)
sarcoma (a usually malignant tumor arising from connective tissue (bone or muscle etc.); one of the four major types of cancer)
Meaning:
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
Cancer; Crab
Hypernyms ("Cancer" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Domain category:
astrology; star divination (a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon)
Meaning:
A small zodiacal constellation in the northern hemisphere; between Leo and Gemini
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Instance hypernyms:
constellation (a configuration of stars as seen from the earth)
Holonyms ("Cancer" is a part of...):
zodiac (a belt-shaped region in the heavens on either side to the ecliptic; divided into 12 constellations or signs for astrological purposes)
Meaning:
The fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Synonyms:
Cancer the Crab; Cancer; Crab
Instance hypernyms:
house; mansion; planetary house; sign; sign of the zodiac; star sign ((astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided)
Meaning:
Type genus of the family Cancridae
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Synonyms:
genus Cancer; Cancer
Hypernyms ("Cancer" is a kind of...):
arthropod genus (a genus of arthropods)
Meronyms (members of "Cancer"):
Cancer magister; Dungeness crab (small edible crab of Pacific coast of North America)
Cancer irroratus; rock crab (crab of eastern coast of North America)
Cancer borealis; Jonah crab (large red deep-water crab of the eastern coast of North America)
Holonyms ("Cancer" is a member of...):
Cancridae; family Cancridae (many of the best known edible crabs)
