Ankylosed
/ˈæŋ.kɪ.loʊzd/noun
Stiffened or fused so that movement is greatly limited or impossible.
Did you know?Ankylosed comes from Greek ankylōsis, a medical term built on ankylos, meaning “bent” or “crooked,” which later gave English the eerie sense of a joint becoming fixed and immovable.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ankylos
“bent, crooked, or curved”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ankylōsis
“a bending or stiffening; a binding together, especially of joints”
Late Latin
Latin
anchylosis
“stiffening or fusion of a joint”
14th–16th Century
Middle English / Medical Latin
ankylosen
“to make stiff or immovable; to fuse a joint”
Modern English
English
ankylosed
“made stiff or fused, especially by disease or injury”
Explore more surprising origins