Standard Lemma guide

cyst

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /sɪst/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪst
  • CMU ARPABET: S IH1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A pouch or sac without opening, usually membranous and containing morbid matter, which develops in one of the natural cavities or in the substance of an organ.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a small anatomically normal sac or bladderlike structure (especially one containing fluid)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vesicle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sac

Narrower terms: lacrimal sac, tear sac, dacryocyst, Golgi body, Golgi apparatus, Golgi complex, dictyosome, blister, bulla, bleb, follicle, liposome

3

noun

Meaning 3

a closed sac that develops abnormally in some body structure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pathology

Narrower terms: dermoid cyst, galactocele, hemorrhagic cyst, blood cyst, hematocyst, hydatid, nabothian cyst, nabothian follicle, ovarian cyst, ranula, sebaceous cyst, pilar cyst, wen, steatocystoma

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH-? Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh1-der.? Ancient Greek κῠ́ω (kŭ́ō)? Ancient Greek κύστις (kústis)der. Late Latin cystisder. English cyst From Late Latin cystis, from Ancient Greek κύστις (kústis, “anatomical sac”).

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كِيسَة (kīsa) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Arabic: كِيس (kīs) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Bulgarian: киста (kista) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Catalan: quist — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Chinese Mandarin: 囊腫 /囊肿 (nángzhǒng) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Czech: cysta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Danish: cyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Dutch: cyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Esperanto: kisto — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Finnish: kysta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • French: kyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Galician: quiste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Galician: lobiño — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • German: Zyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Greek: κύστη (kýsti) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Hebrew: כיסתה (kistá) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Hebrew: כיס (kis) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Hebrew: שלפוחית (shalpukhít) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Hungarian: ciszta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Indonesian: kista — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Irish: cist — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Italian: cisti — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Italian: ciste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Japanese: 囊胞 (nōhō) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Khmer: គីស (kiih) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Lisu: ꓚꓬꓺ ꓗꓶꓹ ꓔꓺ (tʃɑ̱ kɯ̌ tɑ̱) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Norwegian Bokmål: cyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: cyste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Polish: torbiel — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Polish: cysta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Portuguese: cisto — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Romanian: chist — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Russian: киста́ (kistá) — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Slovak: cysta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Spanish: quiste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Swedish: cysta — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Tagalog: kiste — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Turkish: kist — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Vietnamese: túi bao — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ
  • Vietnamese: nang — sac which develops in the natural cavities of an organ