Word origins

• teleostOf, or relating to the Teleostei - fish with bony skeletons.
• polygynyThe state or practice of a man having more than one wife at a time; plurality of wives; marriage between one man and multiple wives.
• smectiteAny of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that have a relatively open structure.
• phanerozoicOf or relating to the Phanerozoic eon.
• paresthesiaA sensation of burning, prickling, itching, or tingling of the skin, with no obvious cause.
• arachnophobiaAn abnormal or irrational fear of arachnids, especially spiders.
• choneAn inhalant or exhalant canal in a sponge; a pore sieve.
• temenosGround under, surrounding and adjacent to a temple; a sacred enclosure or precinct.
• cynomolgusA long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), native to Asia, that feeds on shellfish.
• hemoptysisexpectoration (coughing up) of blood from the respiratory system
• anthropomorphismThe ascribing of human characteristics and behaviors to nonhuman entities.
• TheaetetusA classical Greek mathematician credited with proving that there are precisely five regular convex polyhedra.
• rhodoniteA manganese inosilicate mineral with some substitution by iron and magnesium, of composition (Mn²⁺,Fe,Mg,Ca)SiO₃.
• glaucusAny member of the genus Glaucus of nudibranchiate mollusks, found in the warmer latitudes, swimming in the open sea, strikingly colored with blue and silvery white.
• chrysopraseA variety of light-green translucent quartz.
• desminA protein that is a type III intermediate filament found near the Z line in sarcomeres.
• exergyConcentrated or organized energy, which can be exported and do work in the process.
• parousiaThe second coming of Christ.
• topiaA kind of mural decoration common in Ancient Roman houses, usually featuring landscapes.
• OzymandiasA person once famous and respected who has since been utterly forgotten.
• rheostatAn electrical resistor with two terminals, the resistance of which can be varied continuously by moving a knob or slider to regulate the flow of an electric current.
• dyspepticOf, relating to, or having dyspepsia or indigestion.
• homileticsThe art of preaching (especially the application of rhetoric in theology).
• NicanorA surname.
• rhodococcusAny bacterium of the genus Rhodococcus.
• telencephalonThe anterior part of the forebrain; the endbrain.
• pleonThe abdomen of a crustacean.
• ophioliteAn assemblage of mafic and ultramafic rock fragments of the ocean lithosphere that has been tectonically moved onto a continental margin or island.
• anthesisThe event of a flower opening.
• typhonA violent whirlwind; a typhoon.
• symbolicsThe study of ancient symbols.
• hemina reddish brown substance produced in a laboratory test for the presence of blood by reaction with glacial acetic acid and sodium chloride
• hedonA unit of pleasure used to theoretically weigh people's happiness.
• chthonicDwelling within the underworld.
• halmaA board game invented by George Howard Monks in which the players' men jump over those in adjacent squares.
• erythritolA naturally occurring tetrahydric sugar alcohol, (2R,3S)-butane-1,2,3,4-tetraol, found in some fruits and used as a food additive and sugar substitute.
• morosA dish of black beans and white riced cooked together; congri.
• trocheA lozenge; a cough drop.
• perinatologyA branch of obstetrics focusing on the medical and surgical management of high-risk pregnancies.
• ZacchaeusA male given name from Hebrew.
• ErsaThe goddess/personification of the dew.
• haliteNative salt; sodium chloride NaCl as a mineral; rock salt.
• psoasEither of two muscles, the psoas major and psoas minor, involved in flexion of the trunk.
• goosefootAny of many flowering plants, of the saltbush subfamily Chenopodioideae, having small greenish flowers, including spinach.
• AsmodeusThe king of demons in Jewish tradition, and thought to represent lust in Christian demonology.
• phoriaSynonym of heterophoria.
• merusThe thigh.
• arthrosisAny articulation (joint) in an animalian body.
• EuthyphroA male given name from Ancient Greek, of historical usage.
• phasisA phase (of the moon, a planet etc.).
• diapauseA temporary pause in the growth and development of an organism due to adverse environmental conditions (especially in insects and in the embryos of many of the oviparous species of fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes)
• sporadesStars not included in any constellation.
• rhapsodichighly emotional; rapturous
• akathisiaA sensation of restlessness characterized by an inability to sit still/down or remain motionless/seated, arising from a subjective need or desire to move, often coinciding with the sensation of twitching of muscles, often as a side effect of psychiatric medications.
• TerpsichoreThe goddess of dance and the dramatic chorus, and one of the Muses; the daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne.
• cremasterA thin muscle attached to the testicles.
• masticatorySomething chewed, originally as a medicine, now typically for pleasure or to increase the flow of saliva.
• MemnonAn Ethiopian king and son of Tithonus and Eos. Considered a great warrior, he fought on the side of Troy and was killed by Achilles.
• nerosA period of 600 years.
• monopsonyA market situation in which there is only one buyer for a product.
• glenoidA shallow depression in a bone, especially in the scapula.
• margaritepearl
• orchitisA painful inflammation of one or both testes.
• mesialPertaining to the midline of the body.
• AristarchusA male given name from Ancient Greek, of historical use only in English.
• allosaurusA large, carnivorous dinosaur, of genus Allosaurus, that lived in the Jurassic period.
• glycyrrhizaAny legume (such as liquorice) of the genus Glycyrrhiza.
• arcadyArcadia, an ancient region of Greece with a tradition of rural, bucolic innocence.
• CepheusHusband of Cassiopeia, king of Eritrea, father of Andromeda. There may be two mythical kings by this name.
• dyspareuniaPainful or difficult sexual intercourse, especially in women.
• kleptomaniaA psychological disorder that causes an uncontrollable obsession with stealing without economic or material need.
• zoonosisAn animal disease, such as rabies or anthrax, that can be transmitted to humans.
• PelasgianAn inhabitant of pre-Hellenic Greece.
• bellerophonAny member of the genus †Bellerophon of fossil gastropod shells, believed to belong to the Heteropoda, and peculiar to the Paleozoic age.
• laetrileA drug, derived from the amygdalin of apricot kernels, once thought capable of destroying cancer cells by the release of cyanide but later banned in the United States by the FDA.
• autodidactA self-taught person.
• PandiaA goddess of the full moon.
• PandionThe name of two kings of Athens (Pandion I and Pandion II).
• notumThe back; the dorsal side of the thorax in insects or nudibranches.
• KeresOf or pertaining to the Keres Pueblo people or language of New Mexico.
• AgesilausA male given name from Ancient Greek of certain historical persons.
• tektiteA small, round, dark glassy object, composed of silicates, formed by the rapid cooling of molten ejecta from meteorite impacts.
• technecraft; practice; making or doing, as contrasted with episteme or knowing
• laudanumAny of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.
• MytileneLesbos.
• epiphyteA plant that grows on another, using it for physical support but obtaining no nutrients from it and neither causing damage nor offering benefit.
• PaxosAn island of the Ionian Sea, Greece.
• hopliteA heavily-armed infantry soldier of Ancient Greece, wielding a one-handed spear and an aspis.
• parthenogenesis(An instance of) reproduction by the development of a single gamete (an ovum or ovule) without fertilisation by a gamete of the opposite sex; compare monogenesis, metagenesis, and heterogamy.
• hypoglossalOf or pertaining to the area under the tongue.
• tetragrammatonThe word in four Hebrew letters יהוה (in transliteration as YHWH or JHVH) used as the ineffable name of God in the Hebrew Bible, variously rendered as Yahweh or Jehovah.
• EpimetheusSon of Iapetus and Clymene, brother to Atlas, Menoetius and Prometheus, of whom he ignored warnings to beware of any gifts from Zeus. He accepted Pandora as his wife, thereby bringing sorrow to the world; father to Pyrrha.
• JocastaThe mother and wife of Oedipus.
• anthropoidHaving characteristics of a human, usually in terms of shape or appearance.
• klaxonA loud electric alarm or horn, especially as used in automobiles in the early 20th century.
• DidacheAn early Christian treatise, written in the first or second century AD. and published in the 19th century.
• synastryconcurrence of the position or influence of stars
• priapusAn image of the god Priapus, often used as a scarecrow in ancient gardens.
• lysimeterAn instrument that measures the percolation of water through soil
• orexinEither of two neuropeptide hormones found in vertebrates; the two are orexin-A and orexin-B.