Word origins

• smectiteAny of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that have a relatively open structure.
• AmphionAny of numerous characters in Greek mythology. See Wikipedia article.
• 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.
• AmorgosAn island of the Cyclades, Greece.
• epistasisThe modification of the expression of a gene by another unrelated one.
• 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
• korbanThe ritual sacrifice of a livestock animal at Eid ul-Adha.
• 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.
• hydropsThe abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in a tissue or cavity.
• 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).
• AletheaA personification of truth in Greek philosophy.
• NicanorA surname.
• rhodococcusAny bacterium of the genus Rhodococcus.
• telencephalonThe anterior part of the forebrain; the endbrain.
• PausaniasA male given name.
• anorecticCharacterised by a lack of appetite, especially as suffering from anorexia nervosa.
• 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.
• basileusA title of the Byzantine emperor.
• 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.
• koineA linguistic variety that has developed in supraregional contact between speakers of various interrelated dialects, typically in such a way that features shared by several dialects prevail and those of limited distribution are avoided.
• perinatologyA branch of obstetrics focusing on the medical and surgical management of high-risk pregnancies.
• GlyfadaA city and municipality, a suburb 13 km south of Athens city centre in Attica, Greece.
• ZacchaeusA male given name from Hebrew.
• idiosyncrasyA behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group.
• 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.
• smegmaA whitish sebaceous secretion that collects between the glans penis and foreskin or in the vulva.
• sarosA quantity of 3600, such as a period of 3600 years.
• sycophanticExcessively eager to please, especially for personal gain; obsequious, flattering.
• AsmodeusThe king of demons in Jewish tradition, and thought to represent lust in Christian demonology.
• phoriaSynonym of heterophoria.
• ethnosAn ethnic group, or a people who have a common national or cultural tradition.
• ouroborosA serpent, dragon or worm that eats its own tail, a representation of the continuous cycle of life and death.
• zeugmaThe act of using a word, particularly an adjective or verb, to apply to more than one noun when its sense is appropriate to only one.
• ProclusA male given name from Ancient Greek.
• autarkyA personal condition or state of self-reliance; independence.
• ThutmoseA male name used in Ancient Egypt, notably borne by Thutmose III, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty
• merusThe thigh.
• megaraA city west of Athens in Attica, Greece.
• lycanthropyThe state of being a lycanthrope (or werewolf), a person who can shapeshift between the form of a human being and a wolf, often said to happen involuntarily during a full moon; werewolfdom.
• arthrosisAny articulation (joint) in an animalian body.
• gasterThe stomach.
• EuthyphroA male given name from Ancient Greek, of historical usage.
• phasisA phase (of the moon, a planet etc.).
• lyssaRabies.
• 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.
• praseodymiumA chemical element (symbol Pr) with an atomic number of 59, a soft, silvery, malleable and ductile rare earth metal, valued for its magnetic, electrical, chemical, and optical properties.
• thallusAn undifferentiated plant body, such as in algae.
• monopsonyA market situation in which there is only one buyer for a product.
• glenoidA shallow depression in a bone, especially in the scapula.
• margaritepearl
• diacriticDistinguishing.
• 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.
• ChlorisA nymph and the goddess of flowers and spring. She is a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the wife of Zephyrus, and mother of Karpos. Her Roman counterpart is Flora.
• glycyrrhizaAny legume (such as liquorice) of the genus Glycyrrhiza.
• naosThe inner part of an ancient Greek temple, containing a statue of the temple's deity and surrounded by a colonnaded portico; (by extension) the Roman cella, which it later gave rise to.
• arcadyArcadia, an ancient region of Greece with a tradition of rural, bucolic innocence.
• agonistesA person engaged in a struggle.
• CepheusHusband of Cassiopeia, king of Eritrea, father of Andromeda. There may be two mythical kings by this name.
• MelpomeneThe Muse of tragedy
• orgiasticRelating to an orgy; uncontrolled, wild.