Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology.BenignHow to say it:Benign(beh-nine)What it means: It describes something that is not harmful. In medicine, the termbenignis often specifically used to describe something (like lump or lesion) that is not cancerous.Where it comes from: From the Latin wordbene,which means well (it’s also the root for words like “beneficial”).Tom Werner/GettyWhere you might see or hear it: If you go to your doctor because you are concerned about a lump, bump, or spot on your body, they will want to look at it and might even take a sample to test it. You would be relieved to hear that it is benign because it means that while it might not be something that everyone has (or it might even be somewhat unexpected or unusual) it does not mean that there is anything wrong.Other procedures or tests, like an imaging scan or blood test, can also reveal something that is considered benign.When you might want to use it: When your loved ones ask you about your test results, you might tell them that the lump you were worried about was benign (just make sure that you explain what it means!)
Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology.
Benign
How to say it:Benign(beh-nine)
What it means: It describes something that is not harmful. In medicine, the termbenignis often specifically used to describe something (like lump or lesion) that is not cancerous.
Where it comes from: From the Latin wordbene,which means well (it’s also the root for words like “beneficial”).
Tom Werner/Getty
Where you might see or hear it: If you go to your doctor because you are concerned about a lump, bump, or spot on your body, they will want to look at it and might even take a sample to test it. You would be relieved to hear that it is benign because it means that while it might not be something that everyone has (or it might even be somewhat unexpected or unusual) it does not mean that there is anything wrong.
Other procedures or tests, like an imaging scan or blood test, can also reveal something that is considered benign.
When you might want to use it: When your loved ones ask you about your test results, you might tell them that the lump you were worried about was benign (just make sure that you explain what it means!)
SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Benign.National Cancer Institute.Definition of benign.
Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Benign.National Cancer Institute.Definition of benign.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Benign.National Cancer Institute.Definition of benign.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Benign.
National Cancer Institute.Definition of benign.
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