Word of the Week: Metastatic

Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology.

Word of the Week: Metastatic

How to say it: Metastatic (met-ah-STAH-tick)

What it means: When the cause of a disease (such as cancer cells) moves from the place where it first started to other places in the body.

Where it comes from: From the Latin methistanhi, meaning "to change."

Where you might see or hear it: If you or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer in one organ and it spreads to another, your doctor will use the term "metastatic" to describe cancer.

When you might want to use it: If you have cancer and your doctor tells you that it has spread, you can explain to your friends and family that they might hear the term "metastatic" or "metastases" used to describe how your cancer has progressed.