benign

Definition

Not harmful in effect; specifically referring to tumors or growths that do not invade surrounding tissues or spread to other parts of the body. Benign conditions are generally not life-threatening and have a favorable outcome.

Etymology

From Latin 'benignus' meaning kind, gentle, or favorable, combining 'bene' (well) and 'genus' (born). The medical usage dates to the 15th century, originally describing mild diseases but later specifically applied to non-cancerous tumors.

Learn this word in a 5-minute lesson

Hook, Story, Wonder, Action, Wisdom — one word at a time.

Start Today's Lesson — Free

No account required. 365 lessons across 19 languages.

Translations (30 languages)

Try another word →

For Developers

Access this word programmatically via the Word Orb API. Free tier: 10,000 calls/day, no credit card.

curl https://api.wordorb.ai/api/word/benign View API Pricing →