adjective
-
(of epithelium) consisting of one or more layers of flat platelike cells
-
covered with, formed of, or resembling scales
Other Word Forms
- squamosely adverb
- squamoseness noun
- squamously adverb
- squamousness noun
Etymology
Origin of squamous
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin squāmōsus “covered with scales, scaly”; squama, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Non-melanoma cancers like basal and squamous cell are more common but usually less likely to spread or be fatal, he said.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
The Mayo Clinic says squamous cell carcinoma is a form of cancer that begins as a growth on the cells of the skin and that an HPV infection is among the risk factors.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
Basal cell carcinomas have relatively little lineage plasticity and are far less aggressive than squamous cell carcinomas.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2024
Mr. Kildee was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer.
From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023
Doctors found squamous cell cancer in a small mole they removed from Ma’s face, a condition caused by too much exposure to the sun.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
