Plural of epithelioma; tumors that develop from the cells that form the outer layers of skin and mucous membranes.
From epithelium (Greek epi- 'upon' + thele 'nipple') + -oma (Greek 'tumor'). The term emerged in the 19th century as medical science began classifying skin cancers by their cellular origin.
Doctors in the 1800s used -oma to name almost any growth they found, which is why we still call tumors things like melanoma and carcinoma—it's like a naming system that stuck around!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.