Prosthetic
/prɑːsˈθɛtɪk/noun
Relating to an artificial body part used to replace a missing one.
Did you know?Prosthetic traces back to Greek language of adding and placing, not to anything occult—but it became the word for an artificial replacement because it was something attached onto the body.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
prosthetikós
“fit for adding; additional”
Late Greek
Greek
prostithénai
“to add to, put to”
Latin
Latin
prostheticus
“added on; supplementary”
16th Century
English
prosthetick
“supplementary; later, relating to artificial replacement of a body part”
Modern English
English
prosthetic
“an artificial substitute for a missing body part or, more broadly, relating to such a substitute”