[Vocabulary] swelling vs tumor

[shb27]

Is there any difference between swelling and tumor?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there any difference between swelling and tumor?

Have you looked both words up in a dictionary? If so, which dictionary and what definitions did you find?

 

[shb27]

Have you looked both words up in a dictionary? If so, which dictionary and what definitions did you find?

Yes, I did and have got a bit confused.

Tumor: a mass of disease cells that are growing abnormally in the body.
Swelling: a place on the body that is bigger or fatter than usual because of an injury or illness.

Source: Oxford Wordpower for Arabic speakers

 

[5jj]

Yes, I did and have got a bit confused.

Tumor: a mass of disease cells that are growing abnormally in the body.
Swelling: a place on the body that is bigger or fatter than usual because of an injury or illness.

Are there any words there that you don't understand? If so, ask us.

If not, these definitions seem fairly clear. If I twist my ankle, or if a wasp stings me, there may be a swelling at the place. In time, this will disappear, This is very different from a tumor, which is usually inside the body, will usually continue to grow, and may cause death.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Is there any difference between swelling and tumor?

In modern medicine, the two words are quite different as your dictionary search has shown you. However, in the early days of medicine, these two words were related. The classic signs of inflammation were described in Latin words: rubor (redness), tumor (swelling), calor (heat) and dolor (pain). Now, "tumor" refers to neoplasia, either benign or malignant.

 

[Tdol]

For those unfamiliar with the term: Definitions of neoplasia - OneLook Dictionary Search