Poliomyelitis
/ˌpoʊ.li.oʊˌmaɪ.əˈlaɪ.tɪs/noun
An infectious viral disease that can damage the spinal cord and cause muscle weakness or paralysis.
Did you know?The “polio” part refers to the gray matter of the spinal cord, while “myelitis” means inflammation of the spinal cord itself—not the virus’s color or appearance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“Pale or gray; a reconstructed root associated with light-colored or gray things”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πολιός (poliós)
“Gray, especially gray-haired or gray-colored”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μυελός (myelós)
“Marrow; by extension, the substance inside bones and the spinal cord”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-ῖτις (-îtis)
“A suffix indicating inflammation or disease of a bodily part”
19th Century
Medical Greek
poliomyelitis
“Inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord; a medical term formed from Greek roots”
Modern English
English
poliomyelitis
“The disease commonly known as polio, caused by poliovirus and potentially producing paralysis”