Meanings
plural ptoses
- countableuncountablemedicineThe prolapse of a bodily organ, especially drooping of the eyelid or the breasts.
There were many other factors to be taken into account: Miss West’s age, the type of enlargement, whether the condition was one of pure hypertrophy, the degree of ptosis present, the actual scale of enlargement and, finally, the presence of any pathology in the breast tissue itself.
1970, JG Ballard, The Atrocity Exhibition
Origin
- Ancient Greekπτῶσις“falling, fall”
- Englishptosis
From Ancient Greek πτῶσις (ptôsis, “falling, fall”), from πίπτω (píptō, “to fall down”) + -σις (-sis, nominal suffix). First used in 1710.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan ptosi
- ptosithe prolapse of a bodily organ
French ptôse
- ptôsethe prolapse of a bodily organ
Russian птоз, опуще́ние
- птоз (ptoz)the prolapse of a bodily organ
- опуще́ние (opuščénije)the prolapse of a bodily organ
- отвиса́ние (otvisánije)the prolapse of a bodily organ
Spanish ptosis
- ptosisthe prolapse of a bodily organ
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ptosis
Cite this entry
ptosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ptosis
“ptosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ptosis. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ptosis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ptosis.
Source: ptosis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.