Prolapse
/ˈproʊ.læps/noun
The slipping down or forward of an organ or body part from its normal position.
Did you know?Prolapse comes from Latin prolabi, meaning “to slip forward or fall down,” and the same labi- root is behind words tied to sliding, falling, and collapse-like motion.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
prolabi
“to slip forward, fall down”
Late Latin
Latin
prolapsus
“slipped forward; fallen down”
Middle French
French
prolapsus
“a falling down or protrusion”
16th Century
English
prolapse
“a falling or slipping forward of a bodily part”
Modern English
English
prolapse
“the downward or forward displacement of an organ from its normal position”