Greek-leaning Pathology Terms - All terms found within show-notes

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Greek-leaning pathology words1. Pathology

From Greek pathos = suffering, feeling, disease
and logos = study, account

So pathology literally means the study of suffering/disease.

This is a great opener because it shows how medical language often begins not with the body, but with the idea of human suffering.

From Greek kardia = heart

You get:

cardiac arrest
tachycardia = fast heart
bradycardia = slow heart

Very teachable because once people know cardi-, they start seeing it everywhere.

From Greek neuron = nerve, sinew

Used in:

neuropathy
neurology
neurosis

A nice example of how one root moves from the physical body into psychology and culture.

From Greek arthron = joint
plus -itis = inflammation

So arthritis literally means inflammation of the joint.

This is one of the most useful medical suffixes to teach:

tonsillitis
bronchitis
dermatitis

From Greek gaster = stomach
plus -itis

Literally inflammation of the stomach.

You can connect this to:

gastric
gastrology
gastrointestinal

From Greek derma = skin
plus -itis

Literally inflammation of the skin.

This root is highly visible in:

epidermis
dermatology
hypodermic

From Greek nephros = kidney
plus -itis

Literally kidney inflammation.

Good pair with the Latin root below for kidney, because English often keeps both a Greek and Latin tradition alive.

From Greek hepar, hepat- = liver
plus -itis

Literally inflammation of the liver.

This one is a perfect example of a form that looks strange in English until you know the root.

From Greek haima / hem- = blood
and rhēgnynai / -rrhage = to burst forth

So hemorrhage is basically blood bursting out.

This is vivid, memorable, and very good for an audience because they can feel the image in the word.

From Greek an- = without
and haima = blood

Literally without blood or lack of blood.

Not perfectly literal in modern physiology, of course, but etymologically very revealing.

From Greek kyanos = dark blue
plus -osis = condition

Literally the blue condition.

Excellent for showing how medical language often names visible bodily states very directly.

From Greek leukos = white
and haima = blood

Literally white blood.

A striking example of descriptive naming based on what was observed.

From Greek paralysis = loosening, disabling
from para- + lyein = to loosen

So it carries the sense of being loosened apart or disabled.

Great for showing that many disease terms began as verbs of bodily action.

From Greek dia- = through
and rhein = to flow

Literally flowing through.

Extremely memorable and surprisingly elegant once broken down.

From Greek dys- = bad, difficult
and pepsis = digestion

Literally bad digestion.

A useful root pair because dys- appears all over pathology:

dysfunction
dyspnea
dysphagia

From Greek dys- = difficult
and pnoē = breath

Literally difficult breathing.

Very accessible for an audience because the meaning becomes obvious once you crack it open.

From Greek dys- = difficult
and phagein = to eat

Literally difficulty eating/swallowing.

Good chance to explain how roots shift over time into more technical meanings.

From Greek nekros = dead body, corpse
plus -osis = condition

Literally the condition of dead tissue.

Dark, vivid, and very podcast-friendly.

From Greek onkos = mass, burden, tumor
plus logos = study

Literally the study of tumors/masses.

This surprises people because the modern word feels so distant from its root.

From Greek psyche = soul, mind
plus -osis = condition

Greek-leaning Pathology Terms - All terms found within show-notes

About this Episode

Hosts & Guests

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