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Showing results for carcinogen. Search instead for hepatocarcinogen.
Synonyms

carcinogen

American  
[kahr-sin-uh-juhn, -jen, kahr-suh-nuh-jen, -noh-] / kɑrˈsɪn ə dʒən, -ˌdʒɛn, ˈkɑr sə nəˌdʒɛn, -noʊ- /

noun

Pathology.

  1. any substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer.

carcinogen British  
/ ˈkɑːsɪnəˌdʒɛn, kɑːˈsɪnədʒən /

noun

  1. pathol any substance that produces cancer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
carcinogen Scientific  
/ kär-sĭn′ə-jən /

  1. A substance or agent that can cause cells to become cancerous by altering their genetic structure so that they multiply continuously and become malignant. Asbestos, DDT, and tobacco smoke are examples of carcinogens.

Other Word Forms

  • anticarcinogen noun
  • anticarcinogenic adjective
  • carcinogenic adjective
  • carcinogenicity noun

Etymology

Origin of carcinogen

First recorded in 1935–40; carcino- + -gen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.