Hypersplenism
/ˌhaɪ.pərˈsplɛ.nɪ.zəm/noun
A condition in which an overactive spleen destroys or removes blood cells too aggressively.
Did you know?The first element, hyper-, comes from Greek and means “over” or “beyond,” while splen- comes from Greek splḗn, “spleen,” a word that also gave English the old idea of “melancholy” through the spleen’s ancient symbolic link to black bile.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hyper-
“over, above, beyond”
Ancient Greek
Greek
splḗn
“spleen”
Late 19th Century
English
hypersplenia
“excessive activity or enlargement of the spleen”
20th Century
English
hypersplenism
“a syndrome of excessive splenic function causing abnormal destruction of blood cells”
Explore more surprising origins