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metastasis

The origin and history of metastasis.

Etymology

Metastasis is a learned borrowing from Late Latin, which in turn took the word from Ancient Greek metastasis, meaning a change or a movement from one place or condition to another. Its modern medical sense, describing the spread of cancer, was first used this way in French in 1829 by the gynaecologist Joseph Récamier.

Origin: Late Latin

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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.