Tomos: a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book

Grammatical greetings, fans of etymology, Greek and Latin roots, and devotees of medical terminology! Today's posting will consider not only medical vocabulary as it relates to the Greek root tomos, but also common SAT words as well. As with most academic disciplines, the learning of specialized vocabulary in the medical field can take years, as can studying for the SAT, but a great way to get a true leg up on learning our vast English and medical lexicon (which only gains more and more new words, or neologisms, on a daily basis) is understanding word origins, especially Greek and Latin roots that form the linguistic infrastructure or core of SAT and medical vocabulary.
You will recall that in my last weekly post, I finished discussing the Greek root word neuron and all related neurological vocabulary; this general and medical vocabulary blog offering will focus on word origins concerning the Greek root word tomos: a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book. Numerous SAT-level and medical terms come from this root word, so let's get started with easier words leading up to the more difficult:

Tomos—a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book {-tomy}
n.b.: you can view the above root at the site http://www.wordempire.com/ or click on the root word itself to see the beautiful word tree I will be discussing!
Temnein—to cut
Templum (Lat.)—temple, a place cut for auguries

Beginning with physics in relation to the root word tomos, the ancients believed that an atom could ‘not’ be ‘cut’ since it was the smallest known particle of matter (today we believe that the core of the atom itself is comprised of protons and neutrons, of which they themselves are comprised of different types of particles called quarks, now believed to be the "atoms," or 'uncuttable" objects the ancient Greeks believed in), All we know for certain is that our knowledge of the atom is probably not as accurate as the atomic clock, comprised of cesium that contain highly predictable and regular oscillation frequencies. Physicists and chemists do discuss such ideas as atomic number (the number of protons...via the Greek root protos: first...in the nucleus of an atom, for instance, oxygen has 8); atomic weight (approximately equal to the number of protons and neutrons...via the Latin root word neuter: neither...in the nucleus...via the Latin root word nux, nucis: nut).

Anatomy is the "cutting away" of the body in order to reveal its intricate and complex internal anatomical structure, indeed, in order to study the body, one must ‘cut up’ its parts to reveal them (although with advanced imaging techniques and virtual reality anatomy programs this is becoming less and less practiced, at least for those in medical school). And, speaking of medical procedures or operations in which parts of the body are cut away, consider the tonsillectomy, in which the tonsils are "cut away" (note the "ec" here, which comes from the Greek preposition Ec, Ex—out of, from), and the appendectomy, in which the vestigial vermiform (via the Latin roots vermis: worm and forma: shape) or cecal appendix is taken out (once thought to have helped hominids digest cellulose and now thought to perhaps both produce and protect bacteria for use in the colon). Much more in my next medical vocabulary post will discuss various operations or surgical procedures of this ilk.

Entomology, or the study of insects (an insect has been ‘cut into’ three pieces: the head, thorax, and abdomen; this root word comes to us via the Latin root seco, secare, secui, sectum—to cut)
An entomologist studies insects, which are ‘cut into’ sections.

A "dichotomy" is etymologically something "cut into two," and denotes a division into two usually unrelated opinions or view, such as the dichotomy between the views of materialists, who only believe in a material universe, and those who also believe in a metaphysical realm, or that which resides beyond the province of mere atomistic viewpoints. Another interesting dichotomy can exist between medical practices and those of the chiropractor (the latter derived from the Greek word cheir: hand and the Greek verb prassein—to make, do, achieve {pract, prax}).

The word epitome comes to us via Latin epitome, ‘summary;’ a ‘summary’ is a concise ‘cutting’ from a larger work. An epitome today is also a ‘representative’ or ‘characteristic cutting’ of a group, e.g. Nancy was the epitome of what a great hairstylist should be. To "epitomize" someone or something is to take a "cutting" from them, that is, be a typical example, such as conduct that "epitomizes" excellence.

To contemplate originally meant to meditate or consider ‘thoroughly’ in a ‘temple.’ And a temple in and of itself is etymologically a place "cut" for auguries, that is, those prophetic rituals performed to foresee the future (for a full discussion of the word "augury" and "inauguration," check out my discussion of Barack Obama's inauguration and how the word inauguration works). A similar word to the word contemplation is the word "consider," which comes from the Latin root sidus, sideris, star; to truly consider a situation is to look to the stars for inspiration, much as astrologists do.


My next nearly pure medical post will discuss GRE vocabulary and continue focusing on words derived from the Greek root word tomos, e.g.:
episiotomy
hysterectomy
vasectomy
gastrectomy
mastectomy
mastoidectomy
orchidectomy
orchiectomy
rhytidectomy
anthropotomy
salpingectomy

Interested in word origin? In the power of Greek and Latin roots as the core of English vocabulary? Want even more English vocabulary words that come from the Greek and Latin roots for tomos? Or more English vocabulary words that derive from the Latin verb seco, secare, to cut, or the Greek root word protos, first? Or all the other subsidiary roots mentioned above? All of the word roots mentioned above are accessible via the etymology site http://www.wordempire.com/, on which you may want to check out the most comprehensive Greek and Latin roots dictionary available today; a Greek and Latin roots poster is also available, which beautifully illustrates not only the sheer power of Greek and Latin roots as they form the very semantic structure of the English language but also contains a prolific number of GRE and SAT vocabulary words, and includes a vast host of medical vocabulary.  Or, if you're looking to learn vocabulary for the SAT or GRE verbal section, check out membean.com, where vocabulary is taught to you via an Adaptive Reinforcement Engine in a fun and engaging way which at the same time enhances your memory. 

#2: Neuron: sinew, tendon, nerve; Nervus: sinew, vigor

Many good returns, fans of etymology, Greek and Latin roots, and medical terminology! As with most academic disciplines, the learning of specialized vocabulary in the medical field can take years, but a great way to get a true leg up on learning this vast medical lexicon (which only gains more and more new words, or neologisms, on a daily basis) is understanding word origins, especially the Greek root words (and to a smaller extent the Latin roots) that form the linguistic infrastructure or core of medical vocabulary. You will recall that in my last weekly post, I began illuminating the Greek root word neuron; this medical vocabulary blog offering will focus on the study of neurology and the disciplines that neurologists, or those physicians that study the nervous system and its related ailments (neuropathology) specialize in, and the medical vocabulary primarily that they and only adventitiously those steeped in neuroscience (the field of study devoted to the nervous system, which includes multitudinous disciplines as neuroanatomy, neurobiology, neurolinguistics, and neural networks) might encounter on a quotidian, or daily, basis. Let's review again the primary root words:



Neuron—sinew, tendon, nerve {neuro-}

Nervus (Lat.)—sinew, nerve, vigor, determination



Neuropathology is the study of the pathology, or diseases of, the nervous system; neuropathy, on the other hand, is the particular disease, ailment, or abnormality of the nervous system: neuropathology catalogues the symptomatology of various and sundry neuropathies. Note the root that forms a major stem of these words, the Greek root word pathos—suffering, disease, feeling, passion {-path, patho-, -pathy}, from which we get such English vocabulary words as sympathy, empathy, psychopath, apathetic, and pathogen.



A neuroma is a "mass of nerve" tissue that comprises a tumor. The Greek suffix -oma means "tumor" or "mass," and gives us such medical terms as lipoma, carcinoma, glaucoma,
melanoma, myxoma, and neurofibromatosis. Note that the word "tumor" comes from the Latin root word tumeo, tumere, tumui—to swell, which gives rise to such English derivatives as tumid, tumescence, contumelious, and tumorigenesis, et al.



Neurophysiology is the study of the functioning of the nervous system within a living organism, most especially the human. The word origin of physiology itself comes from the Greek root word physis—nature {physi-, physio-}, which is in turn related to the Greek root phyein—to produce, cause to grow, bring forth, which gives us such English vocabulary words as physician, physics, hypophysis, and even imp!



Neuropsychology is that specialized branch of psychology (the study of the mind, via the Greek root psyche--mind, soul, spirit) that deals with the interrelationship between primarily the brain (but also other parts of the central nervous system) and the functions of the brain, including memory and language. Neuropharmacology (via the Greek root pharmakon—remedy, drug) deals with the effects of various pharmaceuticals on the nervous system (naturally the words pharmacist and pharmacy derive from this same Greek root). Neurodegenerative pathologies deal with etiologies, or causes thereof, of gradual but progressive failure of neurological functions. A neurectomy is the surgical cutting out and removal of a nerve or part of a nerve (performed during neurosurgery by a neurosurgeon); the word origin of the suffix -tomy is derived from the Greek root word tomos—a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book {-tomy}, from which anatomy, appendectomy, vasectomy, hysterectomy, atom, and entomologist, to name a very few. And then there is one of my favorite words, psychoneuroimmunology, a field of medical study that analyzes the influence of emotional states (as stress) and the functioning of the nervous system on the immune system; cf. the uncommon word kedogenous, or pertaining to pathologies produced by stress specific to worries and anxiety.



My next medical post will focus on words derived from the Greek root word tomos: a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book



Interested in even more English vocabulary words that come from the Greek and Latin roots for neuron and nervus? Or the multiplicitous derivatives that come from the Greek root pathos: suffering, disease, feeling, passion, or the many vocabulary words that arise from tumeo, tumere, tumui—to swell and its related root words, such as protuberance, tumultuous, and tubercle? Hundreds of English vocabulary words are derived from the same Greek root words that gives us physician: phyein—to produce, cause to grow, bring forth and physis—nature {physi-, physio-}; yet another highly prolific root word is tomos—a cut, cutting, slice, section, part of a book {-tomy}. All of the word roots mentioned above are accessible via the etymology site http://www.wordempire.com/ , on which you may want to check out the most comprehensive Greek and Latin roots dictionary available today; a Greek and Latin roots poster is also available, which beautifully illustrates not only the sheer power of Greek and Latin roots as they form the very semantic structure of the English language but also contains a prolific number of GRE and SAT vocabulary words, and a vast host of medical vocabulary.  Or, if you're looking to learn vocabulary for the SAT or GRE verbal section, check out membean.com, where vocabulary is taught to you via an Adaptive Reinforcement Engine in a fun and engaging way which at the same time enhances your memory. 

Neuron: sinew, tendon, nerve; Nervus: sinew, vigor

Many good returns, fans of etymology, Greek and Latin roots, and medical terminology! As with all disciplines, the learning of specialized vocabulary in the medical field can take years, but a great way to get a true leg up on learning this vast medical lexicon (which only gains more and more terms, or neologisms, on a daily basis) is understanding the Greek root words (and to a smaller extent the Latin roots) that make up most of medical vocabulary. You will recall that in my last two posts, I wrote about common medical terms for the Greek root for blood (haima, haimatos) and Greek roots for hematology itself, which is the word origin for numerous medical terms. It is now time to move on to discuss the Greek and Latin roots of the infrastructure of the central and peripheral nervous system:

Neuron—sinew, tendon, nerve {neuro-}
Nervus (Lat.)—sinew, nerve, vigor, determination

Let's take a look at the Latin root first. A nerve, derived from the Latin root nervus: sinew, nerve, indeed is etymologically a sinew or tendon along which electrochemical impulses travel that allows coordination and communication within the body, the core of which is the central nervous system, composed of the largest mass of nerves, the cerebrum, and the spinal cord. These nervous (of or pertaining to a nerve) cables, as it were, are comprised of neurons (technically the peripheral axons), and are only part of the peripheral nervous system, not the central nervous system, where the nerves are known as tracts. The body is able to communicate with itself via this highly complex coordinate system via electrochemical impulses which move along the axons, much as a house or computer is wired to allow electricity to flow through it.
One can be said to be nervous when one feels apprehensive, shaky, or agitated due to imminent expectation (nervosity is the state of being nervous); when one's nerves completely get the better of one, a person can head for what is popularly known as a nervous breakdown, a severe emotional collapse that may or may not be caused directly by the nerves; it is interesting to note that this parlance is purely social in usage, and is not recognized by the medical or scientific community. The optic nerve links the retina (via the Latin root rete—net; the retina is a net made of rods and cones that catches photons, related to reticulated python and reticulated giraffe, both of which have a netlike pattern on their epidermis) to the brain, where images that the eye receives are processed and turned into the images that we "see." The auditory nerve links the ears with the brain, where sounds are processed, the olfactory nerve from the mucus membranes of the nose to the cerebrum.
If one is enervated, one has lost energy or "vigor": The hiker was so enervated by his arduous ascent up Mauna Kea that he felt as if all his ‘nerves’ had been taken ‘out,’ leaving him limp as a warm cherry Knox Block. A situation can be unnerving if one feels totally out of one's element and experiences clear and present danger, hence being deprived of one's courage or chutzpah or fortitude.
In regards to pure medical anatomy, the Greek root neuron is much more frequently in use. Neurons, also known as nerve cells, not only consitute nerves, but also are the electrochemical cells that comprise the central nervous system (brain and spinal column) and nerves; each neuron possesses a single axon (the primary transmission lines that allow communication between neurons) and one or more dendrites (via the Greek root dendron: tree; witness dendrochronology, the determining of the age of a tree by counting its rings). Neural, surprisingly enough, refers to a nerve (again, a bundle of neurons) or the nervous system, whereas the word neuronal or neuronic refers to individual neurons themselves. Neuralgia is severe and sharp pain that exists within a nerve or bundle of nerves (consider the Greek root algos: pain; it gives us such words as analgesic: a medicine that takes "pain away;" nostalgia the "pain of home;" and odontalgia, a "toothache."). Neuritis is inflammation of a nerve, which can cause such symptomatology as severe pain, muscle atrophy, and loss of reflexes {note that the Greek suffix -itis, inflammation, is used ubiquitously in such words as tonsillitis, mastitis (inflammation of the breast), laryngitis (of the larynx), tendonitis (most commonly of the Achilles tendon), and nephritis (of the kidney)}.
What sounds more euphonic to you, a nervologist or a neurologist? Nervology or neurology? The Greek root certainly has much more cachet, and is coupled with a Greek suffix (logos—word, speech, study, saying, reason, thought, calculation, ratio, a progenitor of thousands of different disciplines, such as biology, psychology, limnology, eschatology, etc. etc.); it is considered linguistically gauche to mix Latin with Greek roots, although it is done often. My next post will focus on the study of neurology and the disciplines that neurologists, or those physicians that study the nervous system and its related ailments (neuropathology) specialize in.

Interested in even more English vocabulary words that come from the Greek and Latin roots for nerve, or interested in perusing three pages of English derivatives that come from the Greek root logos? Are there other common words that come from the Greek root dendron, tree, or algos, pain? What are all the inflammations that can arise within our most fascinating bodies, discussed in the word tree -itis—disease of, inflammation of? All of the word roots mentioned above are accessible via the etymology site http://www.wordempire.com/ , on which you may want to check out the most comprehensive Greek and Latin roots dictionary available today; a Greek and Latin roots poster is also available, which beautifully illustrates not only the sheer power of Greek and Latin roots as they form the very semantic structure of the English language but also contains a prolific number of GRE and SAT vocabulary words, and a vast host of medical vocabulary.  Or, if you're looking to learn vocabulary for the SAT or GRE verbal section, check out membean.com, where vocabulary is taught to you via an Adaptive Reinforcement Engine in a fun and engaging way which at the same time enhances your memory..

#2: Haima, haimatos--blood

Greetings fans of etymology, Greek and Latin roots, and medical terminology! As with all disciplines, the learning of specialized vocabulary in the medical field can take years, but a great way to get a true leg up on learning this huge medical lexicon is understanding the Greek root words (and to a smaller extent the Latin roots) that make up most of medical vocabulary. You will recall that in my last post I began speaking about the Greek root for blood (haima, haimatos), which is the word origin for numerous medical terms that I discussed in my last word origins post, such as anemia, hemoglobin, hemophilia, hemorrhoid, hemorrhage, and hematology. I stated at the end of that etymology discussion that I would continue speaking about hematological pathology, or those diseases of the blood. Let's review quickly again the multifarious spelling changes that the Greek root for blood undergoes:

Haima, haimatos—blood {em, -emia, haemo-, hem, hemat-, hemato-, hemo-}

You will discover in today's post the wealth of Greek roots that exist when it comes to medical vocabulary, and how easily they are strung together to form a host of medical vocabulary words, much of which is based upon ancient Greek. So let's begin.

Let's start out with the various diseases or conditions of the blood that hematologists are aware of. The suffix -emia simply means "the abnormal or pathological condition of the blood," of which, unfortunately, there can be a large number. I will speak of a few:

toxemia: (via the Latin root toxicum—poison): a condition in which the blood is being poisoned by proteins being produced by body cells, either via sepsis or microorganisms, such as bacteria. This is commonly referred to as blood poisoning.

glycemia (via the Greek root glykys—sweet {gluc, glyc, glyco-}), the presence of glucose in the blood (glucose, of course, being "sweet"), and its related abnormal conditions, such as hypoglycemia (via the Greek preposition hypo—under, below {hypo-}), the presence of too little glucose in the blood (low blood sugar), or hyperglycemia (via the Greek preposition hyper—over, above, thoroughly), having too high a concentration of glucose in the blood (high blood sugar). Another word related to this is hyperemia, when too much blood flows to part of the body, whereas hypoxemia (via the Greek root oxys—sharp, keen, acid) is having too little oxygen in the blood (yet again another abnormal condition).

An interesting condition of the blood that is related to geography is thallasemia (via the Greek root thalassa--sea) which is a blood condition (a form of anemia) inherited by those living near the (Mediterranean) Sea. Too much cholesterol in the blood? Hypercholesterolemia. Too little? Hypocholesterolemia. Hypernatremia? Too much sodium in the blood due to high salt (or sodium chloride: NaCl) intake, via the Latin root natrium, sodium--another demystifying word that clears up learning for chemistry students of the Periodic Table of the Elements, hmm, let's see:

Fe: from the Latin ferrum: iron
Ag: from the Latin argentum: silver
Au: from the Latin aurum: gold
Pb: from the Latin plumbum: lead
Hg: from the Greek hydrargyros: silver water
Sn: from the Latin stannum: tin
Cu: from the Latin cuprum: copper

And two last pathological blood conditions:

oligocythemia: (via the Greek root oligos: few): having two few red blood cells in the body, that is, a paucity of erythrocytes
hypogammaglobulinemia: A decreased quantity of immunoglobulins in the blood, that is, of gamma globulins, especially antibodies

This is but a small fraction of all the multifarious abnormalities that the blood can have. Help...I think that I'd better get my blood checked out!

And is there a word for those who faint upon the sight of blood? Yup, you guessed it, hemophobia; any bets out there that there are at least one or two hemophobes that are also hematologists?

Interested in even more English vocabulary words that come from the Greek and Latin roots for blood, or all the roots mentioned above, such as glykys—sweet, toxicum--poision, hypo—under, below; oxys—sharp, keen, acid, or the various English vocabulary words that come from all the different roots words of the elements of the periodic table? All of the word roots mentioned above are accessible via the etymology site www.wordempire.com , on which you may want to check out the most comprehensive Greek and Latin roots dictionary available today; a Greek and Latin roots poster is also available, which beautifully illustrates not only the sheer power of Greek and Latin roots as they form the very semantic structure of the English language but also contains a prolific number of GRE and SAT vocabulary words, and a vast host of medical vocabulary.  Or, if you're looking to learn vocabulary for the SAT or GRE verbal section, check out membean.com, where vocabulary is taught to you via an Adaptive Reinforcement Engine in a fun and engaging way which at the same time enhances your memory.