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lipoma

lipoma

1 7.9
A soft lump of fat under the skin that is not harmful
  • noun
  • /laɪˈpoʊmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lipoma
  • Many people may have a lipoma without knowing it, as they are often painless and not noticeable.

Examples

  • In most cases, lipomas cause mild symptoms, such as a lump in the throat, voice alterations, dysphagia, or respiratory distress, depending upon their size.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The doctor reassured her that the lipoma was benign and would not cause any harm.

  • I suspect it's just a lipoma.

  • Well, if it's a lipoma, then it's just a growth, like a cyst.

  • We report a case of myxolipoma—that is, a lipoma with foci of myxomatous degeneration—of the epiglottis in a 56-year-old woman.

    Academic text (2005)
  • After the examination, he explained that a lipoma is a soft tumor composed of fatty tissue.

Synonyms

lump
vslipoma
61 3.6

A small swelling under the skin that feels like a bump

is a defined fatty growth rather than any generic swelling
benign tumor
vslipoma
  • Specialized
3 3.4

A growth in the body that is not cancer and does not spread to other parts

is the specific fatty type rather than any noncancerous growth
skin tumor
vslipoma
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A growth on the skin that may be harmless or cancerous

often lies deeper under the skin and is specifically fatty
adipose tumor
vslipoma
  • Specialized
6.1

A soft lump under the skin made of fat that is usually not cancerous

is the common name, less formal medical phrasing
myxolipoma
vslipoma
  • Specialized
9.9

A non-cancerous growth made of soft, jelly-like and fatty tissue

is purely fatty tissue without gelatinous component
angiolipoma
vslipoma
  • Specialized
9.3

A harmless lump under the skin made of fat and small blood vessels

is mainly fat only and lacks prominent vessels

How Dangerous

liposarcoma
  • Specialized
9.9
lipoma
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Surface Forms

lipoma singular
lipomas plural

Morphology

lipoma = lipo (opaque) = lipo + oma

The term is built from specialized combining forms ('lipo-' + '-oma') that are technical and unlikely to be known by an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not derivable from common vocabulary.

Etymology

The word lipoma comes from the Greek parts lipo ('fat') and -oma ('tumor'). You can see the same lipo in words like liposuction and lipid, which are about fat. So a lipoma is a soft, usually harmless lump of fat under the skin.