Word origins

• stasisA slackening or arrest of the blood current, due not to a lessening of the heart’s beat, but to some abnormal resistance of the capillary walls.
• sublingualAdministered through placement under the tongue.
• ephemerisA journal or diary.
• plausibilityThe quality of deserving applause, praiseworthiness; something worthy of praise.
• tarsusA group of small bones in this part of the foot. The seven bones of the human tarsus form the ankle and upper part of the foot.
• penumbraA partially shaded area around the edges of a shadow, especially an eclipse.
• polyhedronA solid figure with many flat faces and straight edges.
• trilateralHaving three sides
• eclampsiaA complication of pregnancy characterized by seizures and coma due to hypertension.
• enduraA fast or series of privations undertaken by the Cathars to purify the soul, often resulting in death.
• gravitateTo move under the force of gravity.
• urticariaItchy, swollen, red areas of the skin which can appear quickly in response to an allergen or other conditions.
• sternumThe breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.
• dermisThe tissue of the skin underlying the epidermis.
• dystoniaA disabling neurological disorder in which prolonged and repetitive contractions of muscles cause jerking, twisting movements and abnormal postures of the body.
• pharynxThe part of the alimentary canal and respiratory tract that extends from the back of the mouth and nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus.
• parabolaThe conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to a tangent plane to the cone; the locus of points equidistant from a fixed point (the focus) and line (the directrix).
• flexorA muscle whose contraction acts to bend a joint or limb.
• strabismusA defect of vision in which one eye cannot focus with the other on an object because of imbalance of the eye muscles; a squint.
• nomaA gangrenous disease of humans leading to tissue destruction of the face, especially the mouth and cheek.
• invigorateTo impart vigor, strength, or vitality to.
• septicemiaA disease caused by the presence of pathogenic organisms, especially bacteria, or their toxins, in the bloodstream, characterized by chills and fever.
• vincaAny of several evergreen shrubs, of the genus Vinca, including the periwinkle.
• nystagmusRapid and excessive involuntary eye movement, usually lateral.
• thrombusA blood clot formed from platelets and other elements that forms in a blood vessel in a living organism, and causes thrombosis or obstruction of the vessel at its point of formation or travel to other areas of the body.
• stomaOne of the tiny pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass.
• alliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds or letters at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals; such repetition specifically involving stressed syllables.
• reticularHaving the structure of a net or a network; netlike.
• triuneBoth trine and one at the same time.
• spasmodicOf or relating to a spasm; resembling a sudden contraction of the muscles.
• constrictorA muscle whose contraction narrows a vessel or passage or compresses an organ.
• amblyopiaDimness or blurring of the eyesight due to a fault in transmission of signals to the brain from an otherwise healthy eye.
• basilarOf, pertaining to, or located at a base, but especially at the base of the skull or an organ of Corti.
• ciliateCiliated, having cilia.
• impactorAny of several machines or devices in which a part impacts on another, or on a material.
• erbiumA chemical element (symbol Er) with atomic number 68: a silvery-white metal, in nature always found in combination with other elements.
• amiaThe bowfin, Amia calva.
• myceliumThe vegetative part of any fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, threadlike hyphae, often underground.
• gonadA sex organ that produces gametes; specifically, a testicle or ovary.
• scandiumA metallic chemical element (symbol Sc), atomic number 21, obtained from some uranium ores; it is a transition element.
• centripetalDirected or moving towards a centre.
• levitateTo cause to rise in the air and float, as if in defiance of external forces such as gravity.
• incisorA narrow-edged tooth at the front of the mouth of mammals, between the canines and adapted for cutting; in humans there are four in each jaw.
• sthenicCharacterized by nervous energy; robust, strong.
• presbyopiaInability of the eye, due to ageing, to focus on nearby objects.
• abortusAn abortion.
• cymaThe wavelike, curved shape of a cymatium, consisting of a concave and a convex line; (loosely) the cymatium itself.
• marginaliaNotes in the margin of a document.
• stamenIn flowering plants, a male reproductive structure in a flower that produces pollen, typically consisting of an anther and a filament.
• trachomaAn infectious disease of the eyelid caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
• mediastinumThe region in mammals between the pleural sacs, containing the heart and all of the thoracic viscera except the lungs.
• catatoniaA severe psychiatric condition, often associated with schizophrenia, characterized by a tendency to remain in a rigid state of stupor for long periods which give way to short periods of extreme agitation.
• fricativeAny of several speech sounds produced by air flowing through a constriction in the oral cavity and typically producing a sibilant, hissing, or buzzing quality; a fricative consonant.
• hemiplegiaTotal or partial inability to move one side of the body.
• scleraThe white of the eye; the tough outer coat of the eye that covers the eyeball except for the cornea.
• rapheA seamlike ridge or furrow on an organ, bodily tissue, or other structure, typically marking the line where two halves or sections fused in the embryo.
• philodendronAny of several climbing plants, of the genus Philodendron, native to America and the West Indies that are often grown as house plants.
• decubitusThe posture of someone in bed, lying down or reclining.
• phalaropeAny of three small wading birds in the genus Phalaropus, of the family Scolopacidae, that have lobed toes.
• arachnoidRelating to or resembling spider webs; covered with or composed of soft loose hairs or fibers.
• zoonA distinct organism.
• longusA long muscle in the body.
• micellea colloidal aggregate, in a simple geometric form, of a specific number of amphipathic molecules which forms at a well-defined concentration, called the critical micelle concentration
• oviductA duct through which an ovum passes from an ovary to the uterus or to the exterior.
• mastoidBeing the process of the temporal bone behind the ear.
• hyperbolaA conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane that intersects the base of the cone and is not tangent to the cone. The function y(x) = 1/x draws a hyperbola.
• monismThe doctrine of the oneness and unity of reality, despite the appearance of diversity in the world.
• puerperalOf, pertaining to, or associated with the puerperium (the first month of postpartum), or, sometimes also
• aspectualOf or pertaining to an aspect.
• multifloraThe hardy rose Rosa multiflora
• pandanusAny of various palm-like plants in the genus Pandanus.
• hypochondriaA formerly defined psychological disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. No longer a current medical diagnosis; see hypochondriasis for more.
• phrenicOf or pertaining to the diaphragm
• quadralA grammatical number referring to four (or more) things.
• theodoliteA surveying instrument, consisting of a small mounted telescope, used to measure horizontal and vertical angles.
• gluteusAny of the several muscles of the nates, each of which arises from the pelvis and inserts into a femur.
• arthralgiaJoint pain: pain in a joint, especially when not caused by arthritis.
• gastrocnemiusThe muscle at the back of the calf, whose insertion is the Achilles tendon at the heel.
• abutilonAny of the various tropical flowering plants of the genus Abutilon, such as the flowering maple, Indian mallow, or Chinese lantern.
• glottisThe opening between the true vocal cords which is located in the larynx and affects voice modulation through expansion or contraction.
• myxomaA tumor consisting of primitive connective tissue and mucous elements.
• trichinosisA disease characterized by headache, chills, fever, and soreness of muscles, caused by the presence of nematodes of genus Trichinella in the intestines and muscular tissues.
• levatorAny of several muscles whose contraction causes the raising of a part of the body.
• cinchonaA tree or shrub of the genus Cinchona, native to the Andes in South America but since widely cultivated in Indonesia and India as well for its medicinal bark.
• ascusA sac-shaped cell present in ascomycete fungi; it is a reproductive cell in which meiosis and an additional cell division produce eight spores.
• atypiaabnormality in a cell (the state of being atypical)
• passerineOf or relating to the Passeriformes order of perching birds, which are generally anisodactyl, having three toes pointing forward and one back, which facilitates perching.
• rachisThe spinal column, or the vertebrae of the spine.
• factiveLicensing only those content clauses that represent claims that are (known or believed with certainty to be) true.
• frontalisA muscle of the forehead, sometimes considered to be part of the occipitofrontalis muscle.
• roseolaA rosy rash occurring in measles, typhoid fever, syphilis and some other diseases.
• symphysisThe process of two originally separate bones growing together as the subject matures, as with the pubic bones or lower jawbones in humans.
• diathesisA hereditary or constitutional predisposition to a disease or other disorder.
• undulateTo cause to move in a wavelike motion.
• administratrixA female administrator.
• adelgidAn insect of the genus Adelges.
• semiologySemiotics, the study of signs.
• piriformisA gluteal muscle which arises from the front of the sacrum and the ischium or sacrotuberous ligament, passes out of the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen, and inserts into the greater trochanter of the femur, serving in humans to rotate the thigh laterally.
• anergyDilute or disorganized energy, which cannot be transformed into work; bound energy
• epiglottisA cartilaginous organ in the throat of terrestrial vertebrates covering the glottis when swallowing to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea, and in Homo sapiens also a speech organ.