CANCER

Pronunciation (US):

• 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.

• 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)