xerostomia

X8E1R1O1S1T1O1M3I1A1

noun

Abnormal dryness of the mouth.

Similar
asialismcottonmouthdry mouth
OriginEnglish stoma ← New Latin stoma ← Ancient Greek στόμα (stóma) →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounxerostomia (countable and uncountable, plural xerostomias)

plural xerostomias

  1. countableuncountablemedicineAbnormal dryness of the mouth.

    Craig Welzbacher (actor) (2013), 6:02 from the start, in "First Days" (Modern Family), season 5, episode 2: “Claire (Julie Bowen): Amazing! You guys are actually hanging out by the water cooler. / Office worker (Craig Welzbacher): I have xerostomia. It's chronic dry mouth.”

    Synonyms: asialism, cottonmouth, dry mouth

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAbnormal dryness of the mouth.

Similar
asialismcottonmouthdry mouth

More synonyms by meaning

nounabnormal dryness of the mouth resulting from decreased secretion of saliva

Similar
dry mouth
Broader
drynesswaterlessnessxerotes
Also see
cottonmouthdry mouthhyposalivation

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishxero-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*steh₃-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*stéh₃mn̥
  4. Proto-Hellenic[Term?]
  5. Ancient Greekστόμα (stóma)
  6. New Latinstoma
  7. Englishstoma
  8. Englishxerostomia

From xero- + stoma + -ia.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

xerostomia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerostomia

MLA

“xerostomia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerostomia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xerostomia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerostomia.

Source: xerostomia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.