Root of the Week: GEN (Friday)

FRIDAY Carcinogen (adjective)

In Greek,” a “karkinos” is a cancer.  Latin picks up this word from the Greeks, using the word “carcinoma” to refer to malignant tumors. In English, the word carcinogen means something that generates or causes cancer. Both synthetic and natural substances can be carcinogenic, including tobacco, asbestos, and radiation. If we add the prefix “anti” (meaning against) to carcinogen, we get anticarcinogenic, referring to something that can prevent or counteract the growth of a cancer.