Sicca
/ˈsɪk.ə/noun
A Latin-derived medical term meaning dry, especially in phrases describing abnormal dryness of the eyes or other tissues.
Did you know?“Keratoconjunctivitis sicca,” commonly called dry-eye disease, preserves the feminine Latin form sicca because it modifies the feminine noun conjunctivitis.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*seyk-
“To become dry or cause something to dry”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ξηρός (xēros)
“Dry; arid”
Classical Latin
Latin
siccus
“Dry; lacking moisture”
Late Latin
Latin
sicca
“Dry, feminine form of siccus”
19th Century
Medical English
sicca
“A clinical descriptor for dryness, especially in “keratoconjunctivitis sicca””