Meaning & use
papillome
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedicaltechnical
A benign growth on skin or a mucous membrane that has a finger-like or nipple-like surface.
Grammar: Countable; the plural is papillomas or papillomata.
Patterns
- a papillome on the skin
- remove a papillome
- benign papillome
The doctor removed a small papillome from the patient's eyelid.
A papillome is usually harmless, but it should be checked by a specialist.
The biopsy confirmed that the growth was a papillome, not a malignant tumor.
Word forms
| plural | papillomas |
|---|---|
| plural | papillomata |
Common combinations
- benign papillome
- The dermatologist reassured her that it was a benign papillome.
- papillome of the skin
- A papillome of the skin often looks like a small, raised bump.
- remove a papillome
- Surgeons can remove a papillome with a simple procedure.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- papillomatous adjective
- Describing a growth that has the form of a papillome.
Commonly confused: papillome or papilloma?
papillome vs papilloma
Papilloma is the standard English spelling; papillome is a less common variant, often from French.
Practice
What is a papillome?
Choose one answer.
A papillome is a benign growth, not cancer or a fracture. It may be caused by a virus in some cases, but the growth itself is the papillome.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “papillome”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.