-ia | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

58 entries found.

"complete failure of one or both breasts, including the nipple, to develop," 1878, medical Latin, from German amastia (1841), from Greek amastos "without breasts," from privative prefix a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + mastos "breast" (see masto-) + abstract noun ending -ia.

amentia (n.)

"mental deficiency," late 14c., from Latin amentia "madness," from amentem "mad," from a for ab "away from" (see a- (2)) + mentem "mind" (from PIE root *men- (1) "to think") + abstract noun ending -ia.

Poinsettia (n.)

type of much-cultivated American plant conspicuous for its large scarlet floral leaves, from the genus name (1836), Modern Latin, in recognition of Joel R. Poinsett (1779-1851), U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who is said to have brought the plant to the attention of botanists in 1828, + abstract noun ending -ia.

dysplasia (n.)

"abnormal growth or development of tissue, cells, etc.," 1935, Modern Latin, from dys- + -plasia, from Greek plasis "molding, conformation," from plassein "to mold" (originally "to spread thin," from PIE root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread") + abstract noun ending -ia. Related: Dysplastic.

catatonia (n.)

disturbed mental state involving immobility or abnormality of movement and behavior, 1888, from medical Latin catatonia; replacing katatonia (1880s), which was formed directly from Greek kata "down" (see cata-) + tonos "tone" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch") + abstract noun ending -ia.

anosmia (n.)

"loss of sense of smell," 1811, Modern Latin, from Greek an- "not, without" (see an- (1)) + osmē "smell" (Doric odmē), from *odsme, from PIE root *hed- "to smell" (see odor) + abstract noun ending -ia.

apraxia (n.)

"loss of the knowledge of the uses of things," 1877, medical Latin, from German apraxie, coined 1871 by German philologist and philosopher Heymann Steinthal (1823-1899), from Greek apraxia "inaction," from a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + praxis "a doing, action, business" (see praxis) + abstract noun ending -ia.

euthanasia (n.)

1640s, "a gentle and easy death," from Greek euthanasia "an easy or happy death," from eu- "good" (see eu-) + thanatos "death" (see thanatology) + abstract noun ending -ia. Slightly earlier in Englished form euthanasy (1630s). Sense of "legally sanctioned mercy killing" is recorded in English by 1869.

telangiectasia (n.)

1831, Modern Latin, from Greek telos "end" (see telos), + angeion "vessel" (see angio-), + ektasis "a stretching out, extension, dilation," from ek (see ex-) + tasis "a stretching, tension, intensity" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch") + abstract noun ending -ia.

chlamydia (n.)

type of genital infection, 1984, from the name of the bacteria that causes it (1966), which is formed from a Latinized combining form of Greek khlamys (genitive khlamydos) "short mantle, upper garment for men, military cloak," which is of unknown origin, + abstract noun ending -ia. Said to be so called due to its ability to "cloak" the nuclei of infected cells. Related: chlamydial.

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