The story
- Ancient Greek · derived fromθάλασσα“sea”
- English todaythalassemia
From Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa, “sea”) (see also thalass-) and -emia (“blood”) (from αἷμα (haîma)). The etymology is suggestive of the epidemiology of the disorder, which is more common in people of Mediterranean descent. First attested in 1932.
Words from the same roots
Ancient Greekθάλασσα all →
thalassicthalasso-
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.