Pygopagus
/ˌpɪɡəˈpeɪɡəs/noun
A type of conjoined twin joined to another twin at the buttocks or lower back.
Did you know?Pygopagus belongs to a Greek-based medical naming system in which the location of the twins’ physical union determines the classification.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pag-
“To fasten, make firm, or fix in place”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πυγή (pygḗ)
“Buttocks or the posterior”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πηγός (ēgós)
“Fixed, firmly joined, or solid; related to the verb πήγνυμι (pḗgnymi), “to fasten””
19th Century
Medical Greek
pygopagus
“A compound formed from pygē, “buttocks,” and pagos, “fixed or joined””
Modern English
English
pygopagus
“A conjoined twin joined at the buttocks or lower back”