medical | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

angioma (n.)

"tumor produced by enlargement or new formation of blood vessels," 1867, medical Latin, from angio- + -oma. Related: Angiomatous.

cavitation (n.)

"formation of bubbles in fluid," 1895, from cavity + -ation. Earlier as a medical term, "formation of cavities in the body" (1868).

pancreatitis (n.)

"inflammation of the pancreas," 1824 (Dr. George Pearson Dawson), medical Latin, from combining form of pancreas + -itis "inflammation." Related: Pancreatitic.

nyctophobia (n.)

"fear of the night or darkness," 1885, medical Latin, from nycto-, variant of nycti- "night, darkness" + -phobia "fear." Related: Nyctophobic.

symptomatology (n.)

study of symptoms, 1737, from medical Latin symptomatologia, from symptomat-, stem of symptoma (see symptom) + -logia (see -logy). Related: Symptomatological.

tenesmus (n.)

"a straining" (to void the contents of the bowels), 1520s, medical Latin, from Greek tenesmos "a straining," from teinein "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch."

side effect (n.)

also side-effect, 1884, from side (adj.) + effect (n.). Medical use, with reference to drugs, is recorded from 1939.

pre-existing (adj.)

also preexisting, 1590s, present-participle adjective from pre-exist. The medical insurance pre-existing condition is attested from 1942.

hypotonia (n.)

1876, medical Latin, from hypo- + Greek tonos "tone" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch") + abstract noun ending -ia.

pediatrics (n.)

"medical treatment of children; the branch of medicine dealing with the study of childhood and diseases of children," 1884; from pediatric; see -ics.

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