Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Covered with or formed of scales; scaly.
- adj. Resembling a scale or scales; thin and flat like a scale: the squamous cells of the cervix.
- adj. Of or relating to the thin, platelike part of the temporal bone.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In zoöl, and anatomy: Covered with scales; scaly; squamate; squamose; squamiferous or squamigerous.
- Scale-like; squamoid; squamiform; specifically, of a bone, same as squamosal.
- In botany, same as squamose.
Wiktionary
Etymologies
- Latin squāmōsus, from squāma, scale.
Examples
“It was the right leg, the right shin, which was revealed to be what she called a squamous cell carcinoma.”
“When the basal cells reach the spinous layer, they are referred to as squamous cells.”
“Blocking UVB helps reduce sunburn and protect against the more common (but far less deadly) forms of skin cancer called squamous and basal-cell carcinoma.”
“As for the skin cancer, as it says, An examination of his skin in February, which he repeats every few months, discovered on his leg a non-invasive form of skin cancer, called a squamous cell carcinoma, which was "destroyed" earlier this month using liquid nitrogen.”
Andrew Sullivan's contest: Make videos about McCain's old age.
“Back in February of this year, he had what's known as squamous cell carcinoma.”
“He did have a cancerous lesion known as a squamous cell carcinoma removed in February.”
“The cancer was identified as a squamous cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor that is the second most common form of skin cancer.”
“Those are called squamous cells in the very outer layer.”
“In fact, only about 2,000 people actually die from this type or another type called squamous cell.”
“But roughly one-quarter of patients who take the medication develop a troublesome side effect: secondary skin cancers called squamous cell carcinomas.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘squamous’.
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Adjectival Arcana
A roster of adjectives that infrequently surface in typical conversation and writing. Many are dredged from scientific or other technical jargon or sieved from examples of disused archaic forms.
unitegmic, acaulescent, reticuloendothelial, ingressive, uniate, acanthopterygian, ossific, epiphysial, perivisceral, acœlomatous, cestoid, acælomate and 7762 more...
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sonicy
delineate, ubiquarian, abaculus, ell, gelid, stem-winder, alpenglow, ligature, corpuscle, corroboree, columnar, cuboidal and 7 more...
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Lovecraft's Ingeneous Idiolect
Some of HPL's most toothsome words.
sarra I'm totally puzzled as to how I actually knew that, now. Jun 18, 2009
dgstone Apparently this is pronounced "squay·mis" rather than "squam·is." Mar 15, 2008
yarb "...mud and protruberant close-packed stone in dense sharp ridges underfoot, squamous and scutellated like a reptile's back or the feet of a falcon."
- Niall Griffiths, Sheepshagger Jan 15, 2008