Dialysis
/daɪˈæl.ə.sɪs/noun
A medical process that removes waste and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys can’t do it effectively.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek medical language, where it described a “separation” or “dissolution” — a reminder that many modern scientific terms were born in the same world as philosophy, ritual, and early theories of the soul.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
diálysis
“a loosening apart, dissolution, or separation”
Late Greek
Greek
dialýein
“to loosen apart, dissolve”
16th Century
New Latin
dialysis
“separation or dissolution in medical and scholarly writing”
19th Century
English
dialysis
“a medical method of separating dissolved substances or removing wastes from fluids”
Modern English
English
dialysis
“a treatment that filters waste products and excess fluid from the blood”