masa
medical, neutral
In a medical setting "mass" is masa, the word doctors use for a lump or growth seen on a scan or felt during an exam. Bulto is the plain word patients use. It is also called tumoración.
Meaning: abnormal lump or growth found in the body (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| masa | medical, neutral |
| bulto | everyday |
| tumoración | medical, formal |
Doctors write masa in reports, for example masa en el pulmón. It describes what is seen and does not say whether the growth is serious.
Which one should you use?
Tumoración is a more formal clinical word for a swelling or growth. Bulto sounds everyday and is what a patient says when pointing to a lump.
How does it change in a sentence?
Masa is feminine, so it takes una masa and la masa.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The everyday meaning of masa is dough. Context makes the medical meaning clear, since it comes with an organ or body part.
Did you know?
- In Spanish masa also means dough, and in physics it means mass, so the medical sense depends on the surrounding words.
Examples in context
- El médico vio una masa en el estudio.The doctor saw a mass in the scan.
- Tengo un bulto en el cuello.I have a lump in my neck.
- Necesitamos una biopsia de la masa.We need a biopsy of the mass.
Example conversation
Marta talks to Dr. Ruiz in his office after an ultrasound.
- MartaDoctor, ¿qué es este bulto?Doctor, what is this lump?
- Dr. RuizEs una masa pequeña. Vamos a hacer una biopsia.It is a small mass. We are going to do a biopsy.
- MartaEntiendo. ¿Cuándo tendré los resultados?I understand. When will I get the results?
