Polycythemia
/ˌpɑːliˌsaɪˈθiːmiə/noun
An abnormally high concentration of red blood cells in the blood.
Did you know?The term is built from Greek roots used in modern medical vocabulary: polys meaning “many,” kytos meaning “container” or “cell,” and haima meaning “blood.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*polhús
“Much or many”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πολύς (polýs)
“Many or numerous”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κύτος (kýtos)
“A hollow vessel or container; later used in scientific terminology for a cell”
Ancient Greek
Greek
αἷμα (haîma)
“Blood”
19th Century
Medical Greek/New Latin
polycythaemia
“A condition involving an excess of cells in the blood”
Modern English
English
polycythemia
“An abnormally high concentration of red blood cells in the blood”