Etymology

mastoid

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Today it means: Being the process of the temporal bone behind the ear. Full definition →

New Latin mastoīdēs ← Ancient Greek μᾰστοειδής
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromμᾰστοειδής“like a breast”
  2. New Latin · borrowed frommastoīdēs
  3. English todaymastoid

Borrowed from New Latin mastoīdēs, from Ancient Greek μᾰστοειδής (măstoeidḗs, “like a breast”), from μᾰστός (măstós, “a woman's breast”) + -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-like, -oid”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.