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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
