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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 2 of 2 1 2 Re: origin of the word "cancer" #147044 08/29/05 08:18 PM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont and Etymonline.com gave this: cancer O.E., from L. "a crab," later, "malignant tumor." Greek physician Galen, among others, noted similarity of crabs to some tumors with swollen veins. From Gk. karkinos, which, like the Mod.E. word, has three meanings: crab, tumor, and the zodiac constellation (1391), from PIE base *qarq- "to be hard" (like the shell of a crab); cf. Skt. karkatah "crab," karkarah "hard;" and probably cognate with PIE base *qar-tu- "hard, strong," source of Eng. hard. Meaning "person born under the zodiac sign of Cancer" is from 1894. Cancer stick "cigarette" is from 1959. formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: origin of the word "cancer" #147045 08/29/05 09:32 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh Indeed they do, although at Dic.com Sorry, I should have been clearer. Yes, the words are cogantes (i.e., related). What I was getting at was whether the meaning of cancer went back to PIE times. I think not. Sanskrit only has the meaning of crab for karkaTa. And I am satsified that Roman doctors adapted the term from the Greeks. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: origin of the word "cancer" #147046 08/30/05 02:51 AM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City I inselpeter Pooh-Bah inselpeter Pooh-Bah I Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City >>I should have been clearer Kind of you. Thanks. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 2 of 2 1 2 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,913 Posts229,342 Members9,182 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV 9,182 Registered Users Who's Online Now 1 members (A C Bowden), 429 guests, and 1 robot. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 30 A C Bowden 20 LukeJavan8 1 ddrinnan 1 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 10,546 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,917 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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