Epulis

/ˈɛpjʊlɪs/ noun

Definition

A medical or dental term for a non-malignant tumor or growth, typically in the gums or mouth tissues.

Etymology

From Latin 'epulis' meaning 'feast' or 'food', metaphorically applied to oral growths as if they were 'feeding' on the tissue.

Kelly Says

Medieval and Renaissance doctors used Latin food words for diseases—calling a tumor 'epulis' treated it like it was consuming tissue greedily, which actually helped them understand inflammation.

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