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Glite Dictionary
psammoma

psammoma

9.9
A small tumor on the brain's thin covering with sand-like hard grains
  • noun
  • /səˈmōmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : psamoma
  • A biopsy revealed that the patient had a psammoma, which showed characteristic sand-like deposits.

Examples

  • Psammoma-like calcifications are occasionally seen.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The radiologist noted the presence of a psammoma in the scans of the patient's brain.

  • Doctors often encounter a psammoma during examinations of brain tumors due to its distinct calcified features.

Synonyms

sand tumor
vspsammoma
  • Specialized
9.5

A growth in the coverings or inner parts of the brain that contains sandlike particles

is the same tumor but named as a single technical noun

Surface Forms

psammoma singular
psammomas plural

Morphology

psammoma = psammo + oma

Although analyzable as the combining form 'psammo-' (sand) + the medical suffix '-oma' (tumour), these are specialized medical forms not recoverable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Psammoma comes from the Greek word psammos meaning 'sand' and the ending -oma meaning 'tumor', the same -oma you see in melanoma. So a psammoma is a tumor that often contains many 'sand-like' hard particles, which is why it has this name.