Wiktionary:Word of the day/2026/February 4

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metastasize v (American spelling, Oxford British English)

(transitive) (medicine, specifically oncology) Of a disease (especially cancer) or a tumour: to form a metastasis (“secondary focus away from the primary site”) in (a body organ). (chiefly US, figurative) To disseminate or spread (something, often an undesirable thing), especially in a destructive manner. (intransitive) (medicine, specifically oncology) Of a disease (especially cancer) or a tumour: to undergo metastasis (“spreading from a primary site to one or more other sites in the body”). (chiefly US, figurative) Of a thing, often one which is undesirable: to disseminate or spread, especially in a destructive manner. Today is World Cancer Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. The Charter of Paris against Cancer, an international convention which seeks to improve cancer treatment through better screening and patient support, and further research, was signed on this day in 2000.

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