Word Units 3

balneo-, balne-
(Greek > Latin: bath, bathing; wash, washing)
balneal
Of or pertaining to baths or to bathing.
balnearii
People who steal clothing from public baths.
balneary
A bathing room.
balneography
A written description about baths

baro-, bar-, bary-
Greek: weight, heavy; atmospheric pressure; a combining form meaning "pressure", as in barotaxis, or sometimes "weight", as in baromacrometer )
baragnosis, baragnosia, baroagnosis
1. The inability to appreciate or estimate weight. 2. Loss of the sense of weight.
baroclinity, baroclinicity, barocliny
In physics, a state of fluid stratification in which isobaric surfaces and isosteric surfaces are not parallel, but intersect.
baric
Relating to barometric pressure (as in isobar) or to weight generally.

bentho-
(Greek: deep, depth; the fauna and flora of the bottom of the sea; sea bottom; depth [by extension, this element includes lake, river, and stream bottoms])
benthos
1. Those organisms attached to, living on, in or near the sea bed, river bed, or lake floor. 2. The biogeographic region at the bottom of a sea or ocean (or, more broadly, at the soil-water interface of an ocean, sea, or lake). The organisms living in such a region include the permanently attached or immobile forms (e.g., sponges, corals, oysters), creeping forms (e.g., crabs, snails), and the burrowing animals (e.g., worms). Barnacles, the larger seaweeds, and sea squirts are also members of this group.3. The organisms living on sea or lake bottoms. The benthos are divided into sessile organisms (those that are attached to the bottom or to objects on or near the bottom) snd vagrant organisms (those that crawl or swim along the bottom).

Berserk
(Old Norse: berserkar, literally, “bear’s skin”; a Norse-myth warrior)
berserk1. Behaving in an uncontrolled way as a result of anger or irrational feeling; to go berserk.2. Extremely excited or enthusiastic about something (informal): "The crowd went berserk when the movie star finally appeared."3. Destructively or frenetically violent: "The berserk worker started to smash all of the windows."4. Mentally or emotionally upset; deranged: "She was berserk with grief."5. Informal: Unrestrained, as with enthusiasm or appetite; wild: "They went berserk over the chocolates."

bio-, bi-, -biotic
(Greek: life; living, live, alive, bi- meaning "two")
biophotometer
An obsolete instrument once used for measuring the rate and degree of dark adaptation, as in vitamin "A" deficiency.
biceps
A muscle with two points of origin; especially, the large muscle at the front of the upper arm that flexes the elbow joint and the large muscle at the back of the thigh that flexes the knee joint.
biophysics
1. The science dealing with the mechanical and electrical properties of the parts of a living organism.2. The study of biological processes and materials by means of the theories and tools of physics.3. The study of physical processes (e.g., electricity, luminescence) occurring in organisms.4. The science that applies the laws and methods of physics to the study of biological processes (used with a singular verb).

Biopiracy
biopiracy1. Biological theft; illegal collection of indigenous plants, microbes, enzymes, etc. by corporations who patent them for their own commercial use.2. The commercial development of naturally occurring biological materials; such as, plant substances or genetic cell lines, by a technologically advanced country or organization without fair compensation to the peoples or nations in whose territory the materials were originally discovered.The patenting of plants, genes, and other biological products that are indigenous to a foreign country; for example, some developing tropical nations are saying that if the West cries foul over piracy of intellectual property or computer software, then biopiracy in Western labs of jungle extracts should also be considered a high economic crime.Biopiracy usually refers to the privatization and unauthorized use of biological resources by entities (including corporations, universities, and governments) outside of a country that has pre-existing knowledge. This privatization and use is sometimes claimed to be predatory. Particular activities usually covered by the term are: Exclusive commercial rights to plants, animals, organs, microorganisms, and genes; as well as, commercialization of traditional communities' knowledge on biological resources; and patenting of biological resources.

bromo-, brom-
(Greek: stench, stink, bad odor; unpleasant bodily odor; bromine)
bromhidrosis, bromidrosis
1. Sweat that is fetid or offensive due to bacterial decomposition. It occurs mostly on the feet, in the groin, and under the arms.2. Also called kakidrosis, cacidrosis, fetid sweat, fetid perspiration, osmidrosis, ozochrotia.Bromhidrosis, or body odor, is caused by bacteria growing on the body. These bacteria multiply considerably in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost totally odorless. Body odor is associated with the hair, feet, crotch (upper medial thigh), anus, skin in general, breasts, armpits, genitals, and pubic hair.
bromohyperhidrosis
Profuse bromhidrosis. Also known as, bromohyperidrosis.
bromomenorrhea
Menstruation characterized by an offensive odor.
bromopnea
1. A strong, offensive smell, or stench from the mouth.2. Foul breath which may be caused by a disease within the mouth (dental caries, severe ulcerative stomatitis, ulceromembranous pharyngitis, etc.) or the nose (ozena, malignant disease, etc.), but frequently defies medical diagnosis.3. Also known as, halitosis, fetor ex ore, stomatodysodia, and ozostomia.

caco-, cac-, kako-, kak-
(Greek: bad, harsh, wrong, evil; incorrect; unpleasant; poor; used most of the time as a prefix)
alexicacon, alexikakon
A preservative against evil; a safeguard against bad.
cacaerometer
Measuring bad air.
cacochylous
A reference to bad chyle or difficult digestion.cacodemon, cacodaemon, cacodemonia1. An evil spirit or demon. 2. A name for nightmare.
cacodermia
Bad skin; i.e., a condition in which one has a pimply or rough skin.cacodontia, cacodentia, cacodentalHaving bad or malformed teeth.
cacodox
Holding what is considered to be wrong or evil opinions, teachings, or doctrines.

digit-, digiti-
(Latin: finger, toe; from Greek daktylos)
digit
1. A finger or toe in human beings or the corresponding part in other vertebrates.2. Any of the Arabic numerals 0 to 9; one of the elements that collectively form a system of numbers.3. Any of the symbols of other number systems, as 0 or 1 in the binary.4. The width of a finger used as a unit of length, equal to approximately 2 cm (3/4 in).5. In astronomy, the twelfth part of the sun's or moon's diameter; used to express the magnitude of an eclipse.In anatomy, a jointed body part at the end of the limbs of many vertebrates. The limbs of primtes end in five digits, while the limbs of horses end in a single digit that terminates in a hoof. The fingers and toes are digits in humans.
digital
1. Pertaining to, resembling, or using a digit or digits.2. Resembling an impression made by a finger.3. Pertaining to data in the form of discrete states as contrasted to analog data in the form of continuously variable physical quantities.In computer science, representing or operating on data or information in numerical form. A digital clock uses a series of changing digits to represent time at discrete intervals; for example, every second. Modern computers rely on digital processing techniques, in which both data and the instructions for manipulating data are represented as binary numbers.

Word Units 2

acous-, acou-, -acoustical, -acusis-, -acusia

acouasm
In psychiatry: a nonverbal auditory hallucination, such as a ringing or hissing in the ears; acousma; also known as tinnitus.
acoubouy
Used by military ordnance, a listening device dropped by parachute onto land and water, used to detect sounds of enemy movements and transmit them to orbiting aircraft or land stations.
acouesthesia
The sense of hearing; auditory perception.
You can hear cow bells but you can't hear cow horns.
—Evan Esar
We hear what we listen for.
—Anonymous
A good listener is one who can give you his full attention without hearing a word you say.
—Anonymous
acoumeter
An instrument used for estimating the power or extent of the sense of hearing before the introduction of audiometers. Variant spellings include these words: acouometer, acoumeter, acousmeter, acousmetric, acousmometric, acoumetry, and acoumetric.
acousia
This is now spelled acusis.
acousma
A simple auditory hallucination, such as ringing or buzzing sounds "in the ears"; also acouasm.
acousmata
Things received (heard) on authority; a technical word for a school of philosophy.
acousmatagnosis
In psychology, an abnormal inability to understand spoken words and to recognize meaningful sounds.
acousmatamnesia
1. Failure of the memory to call up the images of sounds.2. The inability to remember certain sounds.
acousmatic
A professed hearer, a class of scholars under Pythagoras, who listened to his teachings, without inquiring into their inner truths or basis.
acoustic, acoustical, acoustically
Pertaining to the sense of hearing; adapted to aid hearing; the science of audible sounds.
psychoacoustics, psychoacoustical
1. The science that deals with the perception of sound and the production of speech. 2. The scientific study of the psychological and physiological principles of sound perception. 3. A discipline combining experimental psychology and physics that deals with the physical features of sound as related to audition, as well as with the physiology and psychology of sound recepter processes. 4. The scientific investigation of the way in which animals, including man, hear, particularly the reception and analysis of the input signal. It is the study of the relationship between the physical characteristics of sound and its biologic processing.

aesth-, esth-, aesthesia-, -esthesia(Greek: feeling, sensation, perception)

acrodysaesthesia
1. Dysesthesia (impairment of the senses) in the extremities, usually the hands and feet.2. An abnormal and unpleasant sensation in the peripheral portions of the extremities.
acroparesthesia
1. Disease marked by attacks of tingling in the outer parts of the body.2. Numbness, tingling, and/or other abnormal sensations of the extremities (for example, the fingers, hands, forearms, and toes); usually due to a carpal tunnel syndrome but also from other causes; seen frequently in organic disorders, especially peripheral nerve lesions.
There are times when the term refers only to those unpleasant sensations that occur without any demonstrable organic basis.
aesthacyte
A sensory cell of primitive animals such as sponges.
aesthesia, esthesia
The ability to feel sensations; perception.
aesthesic, esthesic
A reference to the mental perception of sensations.
aesthesiogenic
Producing or causing sensation.
cryesthesia
1. A subjective sensation of cold. 2. Sensitiveness to cold.
crymoanesthesia
1. The freezing of the skin with ice, carbon dioxide snow, or the evaporation of ethyl chloride. It is used in preparing the skin for the surgical excision of superficial tumors, incisions, and drainage.2. Refrigeration anesthesia.
cryoanesthesia
The freezing of the skin with ice, carbon dioxide snow, or the evaporation of ethyl chloride.
It is used in preparing the skin for the surgical excision of superficial tumors, incisions, and drainage.
dermatosthesia
A condition of having sensitive skin.

alcoholo-, alcohol-, alcoho-
(Arabic > Latin: alcohol, originally an "essence or very fine powder", from Arabic al-kuhl which is from al-, "the", and kohl or kuhl, "antimony sulfide" )

alcholimetric
A reference to a device, called a alcoholometer, that measures the quantity of alcohol contained in a liquid.
alcholizer
An alcohol breath-test screening instrument; a breathalyzer with an analyzer cell used in police units worldwide to check drivers suspected of excessive drinking.
alcholometrical
A reference to the use of an alcoholometer.
alcogel
A gelatinous precipitate from a colloidal solution in alcohol.
alcohol
1. A colorless, volatile, pungent liquid; synthesized or derived from fermentation of sugars and starches, it can be burned as fuel, is used in industry and medicine, and is the intoxicating element of whiskey, wine, beer, and other fermented or distilled liquors. It is also called "ethyl alcohol". 2. Any of a series of hydroxyl compounds, the simplest of which are derived from saturated hydrocarbons, and include ethanol and methanol.
alcoholate
A tincture or other preparation containing alcohol.
alcoholature
An alcoholic tincture prepared with fresh plants.
alcoholemia, hyperalcoholemia
The presence of ethanol in the blood.
alcohol-ether
A chemical compound used in shampoos, bubble baths, body wash, liquid soaps.

andro-, andr-, -ander,-andry
(Greek: man, men, male, masculine; also, stamen or anther as used in botany)

anandrous
In botany, having no stamens; a reference to certain flowers.
andragogy, andragogue
1. The methods or techniques used to teach adults. Mistakenly used to refer to adult education for both male and female learners. “Mistakenly” because andro, -andra- refers only to males. 2. Another erroneous definition is, the art and science of helping adults learn.
androcracy, androcratic
The political rule by men or males; male supremacy.
androcyte
Male sex cell, especially of an immature stage; spermatid.
androgenetic
Producing masculine characteristics; a reference to androgenesis.
androgenic
Relating to an androgen; having a masculinizing effect.
androgenicity
The quality of exerting a masculinizing or virilizing action or effect; a property of androgenic hormones.
androgenization
Excessive androgen production in the female or the clinical state of virilization resulting from it or from the administration of androgen.
androgenize, androgenized
1. Subjected to the production or presence of an excess of androgen in the female. 2. Normally virilized, as in the male.

angio-, angi-, -angium
(Greek > Latin: [receptacle], vessel, often a blood vessel; "covered by a seed or vessel", a seed vessel; a learned borrowing from Greek meaning "vessel", "container")

adenoangiosarcoma
An angiosarcoma involving gland structures.
anangioid
Seemingly without blood vessels.
anangioplasia, anangioplastic
1. The imperfect vascularization (formation of new blood vessels) of a part due to poorly formed or unformed blood vessels.2. Imperfect vascularization of a part due to nonformation of vessels, or vessels with inadequate caliber (diameter of a hollow tubular structure).
angiostrophe
The twisting of a vessel to arrest or stop a hemorrhage.
angiostrophy
The twisting of the cut end of a blood vessel to stop bleeding.
angiosynizesis
The collapsing of the walls of a blood vessel.
angiotelectasis
Dilatation of the minute arteries and veins.
angiotenic
Resulting from or associated with distension of blood vessels.

arena [harena], areni-
Latin: sand, sandy place, sea-shore; place of combat [literally, "place strewn with sand"]; gives us arena with two important descriptive parts.

arena
1. An indoor or outdoor area, surrounded by seating for spectators, where shows or sports events take place.2. A group of adjoining mating territories of a species.
arenaceo
A prefix that can be attached to other words with the meaning of sandy, mixed with sand; as with arenaceo-argillaceous: of the nature of sandy clay.
arenaceous
1. Used to describe rocks or deposits that are composed of sand grains or have a sandy texture. 2. A reference to plants that grow best in sandy soil. 3. Derived from or containing sand; having the properties of sand; growing in sand; sandy.4. Resembling sand in texture, sandy, or gritty.
arenavirus
A reference to the dense granules resembling sand inside their virion.
arenicole
1. Living or growing in sand.2. Any organism that thrives in sandy areas.
arenicolite
A worm-hole made originally in sand and preserved in a sandstone rock.
arenicolous
Occurring or growing and developing in sandy areas.
arenilitic
Of or pertaining to sandstone.

auto-, aut-
(Greek: self, same, spontaneous; directed from within)

autarcesiology
The scientific study of natural immunity.
autarcesis
Natural immunity.
autarch
An absolute ruler; autocrat; a tyrant.
autarchy
1. Absolute sovereignty, despotism. 2. Self-government; an autocratic government by one person with unlimited authority over others.
autarkist
Someone who rules a nation that has a policy of economic independence.
autarky, autarkic, autarkical
1. The condition of self-sufficiency; especially, economic, as applied to a nation.2. A national policy of economic independence.
autism
1. Mental introversion in which the attention or interest is fastened on the patient's own ego; a self-centered mental state from which reality tends to be excluded.2. A mental disorder characterized by severely abnormal developments of social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication skills.3. A tendency to view life in terms of one's own needs and desires.
Affected individuals may adhere to inflexible, nonfunctional rituals or routine. They may become upset with even trivial changes in their environment. They often have a limited range of interests but may become preoccupied with a narrow range of subjects or activities. They appear unable to understand others' feelings and often have poor eye contact with others.
Unpredictable mood swings may occur. Many demonstrate stereotypical motor mannerisms; such as, hand or finger flapping, body rocking, or dipping. The disorder is probably caused by organically based central nervous system dysfunction, especially in the ability to process social or emotional information or language.
automotive
1. Moving by itself; self-propelling or self-propelled.2. Of or relating to self-propelled vehicles.3. Relating to motor vehicles; such as, "automotive supplies".
automysophobia
An excessive fear of being dirty and stinking or of personal filth which may result in abnormally frequent washing.
autonarcosis
Self induced sleep.
autonephrectomy
The complete destruction of a kidney by a disease process.
autonephrotoxin
A toxin directed against the kidneys of the organism in which it was produced.
autonepiophilia
A perversion in which sexual arousal and orgasm are dependent on the subject acting as or being treated as an infant. The subject may need to wear diapers, for example, in order to become sexually aroused.
autonomic
Functioning independently of the will; not under voluntary control: a reference to that part of the nervous system that regulates the activities of blood vessels, secretory glands, and viscera. It comprises parasympathetic and sympathetic components.
autonomism
The belief in or a movement toward autonomy.
autonomist
Someone who strives for autonomy or independence.
autonomotropic
Relating to or important in the control of the autonomic nervous system.

Word Untis 1

a-, an-(Greek: a prefix meaning: no, absence of, without, lack of, not)These prefixes are normally used with elements of Greek origin, a- is used before consonants and an- is used before vowels. It affects the meanings of hundreds of words.There are too many words that use these prefix elements to list all of them on this site; however, there are some significant examples listed in this and the other groups provided.abacterialFree of bacteria; without bacteria.abaptismThe absence of baptism; no baptism.abarognosis1. Loss of ability to appreciate the weight of objects held in the hand, or to differentiate objects of different weights.2. Loss of the sense of weight; unaware of weight.3. When the primary senses are intact, caused by a lesion of the contralateral parietal lobe.abasiaThe inability to walk due to a limitation or absence of muscular coordination; not able to walk.abiocoen, abiocenThe sum of all the nonliving components of an environment or habitat.a, an: Grammatical Articles(confusion exists about usage of "a" and "an" in front of other words)The Inconsistent Articles "a" and "an"Everyone who has a desire to improve his/her English skills should strive to develop fluency and accuracy by having access to information that presents a better understanding of the many confusing words that exist in English.The proper use of "a" and "an"There is an article on the proper use of "a" and "an" in just about every usage book ever written, although apparently few native speakers of English have any difficulty with them; in fact rarely does anyone think about them in speech.If there is any difficulty, it is to be found in writing. The basic rules are as follows: Use "a" before a consonant sound; use "an" before a vowel sound. Before a letter or an acronym or before numerals, choose "a" or "an" according to the way the letter or numeral is pronounced: an FDA directive, a United Nations' resolution, a $50.00 bill.As we might expect, actual usage is more complex than the simple rules tend to lead us to expect. Here are some of the things that actual usage shows:In line with the basic rule, before words with an initial consonant sound, "a" is the usual application in speech and writing.Before "h" in an unstressed or weakly stressed syllable, "a" and "an" are both used in writing (an historic, a historic) but an is more usual in speech, whether the "h" is pronounced or not. This variation exists as a result of historical development; in unstressed and weakly stressed syllables, "h" was formerly not pronounced in many words as it is currently pronounced by many people. A few words; such as, historic and (especially in England) hotel, are in transition, and may be found with either a or an. Apparently, people may now choose the article that suits their personal pronunciation preferences with several h words.Occasionally in modern writing and speech and regularly in the King James Version of the Bible, an is used before "h" in a stressed syllable, as in an hundred. Again, we have the same historical change: many more words were pronounced with a silent initial "h" in the past than are in the present. A few words; such as, heir, hour, and honest, generally have silent "h"; some others, like herb or humble are pronounced both ways. Use a or an according to your personal pronunciation preferences.Before words beginning with a consonant sound but an orthographic vowel, an is sometimes used in speech and writing (an unique and such an one). This use is less frequent now than in the past.Before words with an initial vowel sound, an is usual in speech and writing. This is in line with the basic rule.abacus(Hebrew > Greek > Latin > Middle English: dust)The Abacus, a HistoryThe source of our word abacus, the Greek word abax, is thought to come from Hebrew 'abaq, "dust", although the details of such a transmission are obscure. In postbiblical usage 'abaq meant "sand used as a writing surface". The Greek word abax has as one of its senses "a board sprinkled with sand or dust for drawing geometric diagrams." The difference in form between the Middle English word abacus and its Greek source abax is explained by the fact that Middle English actually borrowed Latin abacus, which came from the Greek genitive form (abakos) of abax.abacus (s); abaci (pl)1. A manual computing device consisting of a frame holding parallel rods strung with movable counters.2. In architecture, a slab on the top of the capital of a column. abdomino-, abdomin-, abdomen-(Latin: belly, venter [the use of "stomach" is considered incorrect for this element])abdomenThat portion of the body which lies between the lower thorax (chest) and the pelvis; or "the region of the trunk below the diaphragm, containing the largest cavity in the body". Also called belly (popular), venter, and stomach (incorrect). Derived from abdo, abdere, "to hide", and so probably originally referred to the "hidden part of the body".abdominal, abdominallyPertaining to the abdomen.A stomach ache has been defined as an abominable pain in the abdominal area.—Anonymous"The stomach (which is in the abdominal area) is lined with thirty-five million glands that produce about three quarts (2.85 liters) of gastric juices daily. Hydrochloric acid makes up roughly five percent of these juices and, together with other acids and various enzymes, constantly works to digest food particles."—Neil McAleer in his The Body AlmanacabdominalgiaPain in the abdomen; a belly ache.abdominoanteriorWith the abdomen forward [denoting a position of the fetus in utero].abdominocentesisParacentesis (surgical puncture of the abdominal wall cavity for the aspiration [removal by suction] of peritoneal fluid); i.e., puncturing of the abdomen with a hollow needle or trocar, usually for the purpose of withdrawing fluid.abdominopelvicRelating to the abdomen and pelvis, especially the combined abdominal and pelvic cavities.abdominoplastyAn operation ["belly tuck"] performed on the abdominal wall for esthetic purposes and self esteem; an operation performed on the abdominal wall for esthetic purposes.-ability(Latin: a suffix )Just a few examples out of hundres of words presented as the noun forms of -able; forming nouns of quality from, or corresponding to, adjectives in -able; the quality in an agent that makes an action possible. The suffix -ible has related meanings.absorbabilityThe state or quality of being absorbable; capability of being absorbed.accountability1. The state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.2. Responsibility to someone or for some activity.3. In education: a policy of holding schools and teachers accountable for students' academic progress by linking such progress with funding for salaries, maintenance, etc.achievabilityThe state or condition of being achievable.affability, affablenessThe quality of being affable; readiness to converse or be addressed; especially, by inferiors or equals; courteousness, civility, openness of manner.applicabilityRelevance by virtue of being applicable to the matter at hand.-able(Latin: a suffix; capable of, able to, can do)A suffix that forms adjectives. The suffix -ible has related meanings; expressing ability, capacity, fitness; capable of, fit for, able to be done, can be done, inclined to, tending to, given to.This list is only a small sample of the thousands of -able words that exist in Englsh.abominableA bad omen; nasty and disgusting; vile; loathsome.accountableacidifiableCapable of being converted into, or of combining so as to form, an acid.acquaintableEasy to be acquainted with; affable.adorableadvisableaffableEasy of conversation or address; civil and courteous in receiving and responding to the conversation or address of others; especially, inferiors or equals; accostable, courteous, complaisant, benign. Ablutions or Bathing, Historical Perspectives(Latin: abluere, to wash away)Ablutions from the Past to the PresentIn a leading public health textbook of 1908, W.T. Sedgwick noted that because personal hygiene is a means to control infectious diseases, “the absence of dirt is not merely an esthetic adornment.” He added that cleanliness is “doubtless an acquired taste.”Sedgwick’s comment came at a time of transition, when personal hygiene wasn’t a widespread habit.Through great periods of European and much of U.S. history, clieanliness was inconvenient, religiously restricted, or just plain out of fashion.Living unwashed were saints, the masses, and monarchs alike.In response to the debauchery of Roman baths, the early Christian church frequently discouraged cleanliness. “To those that are well, and especially to the young,” Saint Benedict in the sixth century commanded, “bathing shall seldom be permitted.”Saint Francis of Assisi considered an unwashed body a stinking badge of piety. Queen Isabella of Castile boasted that she had had only two baths in her life—at birth and before her marriage.Colonial America’s leaders deemed bathing impure, since it promoted nudity, which could only lead to promiscuity.Laws in Pennsylvania and Virginia either banned or limited bathing. For a time in Philadelphia, anyone who bathed more than once a month faced jail.Bathing facilities often were not availableThe English of that era really couldn’t bathe even if they wanted to, notes V. W. Greene, a professor of epidemiology at the Ben Gurion Medical School in Beersheva, Israel. “There was no running water, streams were cold and polluted, heating fuel was expensive, and soap was hard to get or heavily taxed. There just weren’t facilities for personal hygiene. Cleanliness wasn’t a part of the folk culture.”Through much of the 19th century, adds Greene, Europeans and Americans lived in wretched filth, and many died young of associated diseases.Archaeological evidence suggests 5,000-year-old bathing facilities in Gaza. Soaplike material found in clay jars of Babylonian origin has been dated to about 2800 B.C.Before the time of Abraham in Middle Eastern desert climes, custom dictated that hosts offer washing water to guests to clean their feet.One of the first known bathtubs comes from Minoan Crete that was found in the palace at Knossos and is dated about 1700 B.C.The palace plumbing system had terra-cotta pipes that were jointed and cemented together and were tapered at one end to give water a shooting action to prevent the buildup of clogging sediment. Their technology put Minoans in the hydrological vanguard.The ancients had their hygienic practicesThe ancient Egyptians didn’t develop such plumbing, but they definitely liked hygiene which was evident in their use of fresh linen and body ointments, skin condioners, and deodorants of the day.The Greeks apparently prized cleanliness. Although they apparently didn’t use soap, Greeks anointed their bodies with oil and ashes, scrubbed with blocks of pumice or sand, and scraped themselves clean with a curved metal instrument called a “strigil”. Immersion in water and anointment with olive oil followed their ablutions.At its peak of ablutive excess, it may have seemed that all of Rome indulged in the baths. In the fourth century A.D., the city had eleven large and magnificent public bathhouses, more than 1,350 public fountains and cisterns, and many hundreds of private baths.Served by thirteen aqueducts, Rome’s per-capita daily water consumption averaged about 300 gallons, nearly what an American family of four uses today.Roman baths usually opened at midday, just as sportsmen finished their games or exercises. A bather first entered the “tepidarium”, a moderately warm room for sweating and lingering.Next came the “calidarium”, a hotter room for greater sweating, or perhaps the ultrahot "laconicum".In these the bather doused himself with copious quantities of warm, tepid, or cold water.Scraped off with a strigil, sponged and reanointed, the Roman concluded the process by plunging into the cool and refreshing pool of the “frigitarium”.Rome’s obsession with bathing is said to be a factor that helped send the empire down the drain.Early Christian leaders condemned bathing as unspiritual“The father’s of the early church equated bodily cleanliness with the luxuries, materialism, paganism and what’s been called ‘the monstrous sensualities’ of Rome,” explains Professor Greene.Within a few centuries, the public and private sanitation practices of Greece and Rome were forgotten; or, as Greene adds, were “deliberately repressed.”Europe during the Middle Ages, it’s often been said, went a thousand years without a bath.Gregory the Great, the first monk to become pope, allowed Sunday baths and even commended them, so long as they didn’t become a “time-wasting luxury.”Guardians of culture and knowledge during the Dark Ages, Europe’s monasteries also preserved some of Rome’s hydrological technology and cleanliness habits.Elaborate plumbing laid in 1150 served the Christchurch Monastery at Canterbury, with settling tanks to purify water, and branches that fed the kitchen, the laver, and the washouse.Greene stated, “People always talk about the good old days, before pesticides and pollution; but in the good old days of Europe and the United States, people lived in filth, with human and animal fecal matter all around. The rivers were filthy. Clothing was infested with vermin.”Cleanliness leads to better healthAlthough scholars point to advances in medical science; such as, vaccines and antibiotics, as the major factors in turning the tide against disease, the changes in personal and domestic hygiene should be given considerable credit for improvements in better health conditions.“For one thing,” Greene explains, “pasteurization and vaccines didn’t really come along until the mortality decline was well established. That’s not to say vaccines weren’t important. But nearly 40 diseases are transmitted by feces, urine, and other secretions on contaminated hands or other objects. The greatest cause of fatal infant diarrhea came from mothers who went to the toilet, didn’t wash their hands and passed along intestinal bacteria to their babies.”Body ordor is not caused by the human body or sweat itself. The skin has more than two million sweat glands, and the perspiration that comes from the abundant eccrine sweat glands is fundamentally clear and odorless.Common skin flora, consisting of several kinds of benign bacteria, feed off the secretions and skin particles on the body and clothing. In the process of eating and eliminating waste, the bacteria cause the stench.Most people rely on soap and water to get rid of the sweat that bacteria eat. Since soap contains fats, oils, and alkali; it loosens the bonds that hold dirt, oil, and bacteria to the skin and suspends them in water.Some experts say that the way to get really clean is to soak and to wash in a bathtub and then to shower off the “floating soap and body-oil slick” that clings to the body when a person stands up in the tub.Even in our “modern age”, too many people who should know better, do not wash their hands after using a toilet.Cleanliness, via ablutions, is one of the most important ways to maintain good health.abluto-, ablut-(Latin: washing; especially as a ritual; cleansing)From Latin ab- and luere, "to wash" which is related to lavare, "to wash".abluent1. Serving to cleanse.2. A cleansing agent; a detergent.ablution1. A cleansing of the body, especially in a religious ceremony.2. The liquid used in such a washing.ablutionary1. Of or pertaining to washing the body, or parts of it.2. Cleansing the body by washing; especially, ritual washing of the hands, etc.ablutionsThis may refer to the practice of removing sins, diseases or earthly defilements through the use of ritual washing, or the practice of using ritual washing as one part of a ceremony to remove sin or disease.ablutomania1. An obsessional preoccupation with cleanliness, washing, or bathing, often accompanied by compulsive rituals.2. An obsessive-compulsive disorder is very often seen in a condition; such as, obsessive-compulsive psychoneurosis.3. A morbid impulse to wash or to bathe, or an incessant preoccupation with thought of frequent hand-washing, or bathing; often seen as an obsessive-compulsive disorder.-ably, a suffix;(able manner, capably)In an able manner, or capably; forming adverbs corresponding to adjectives in -able.adorablyamiablyFriendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likeable.amicablycomfortablycomparablyconceivablycreditablydespicablydeterminablydurablyCapable of withstanding wear or decay.formidablyhabitablyincomparablyjustifiablylaudablyDeserving praise.abort-, aborti-(Latin: miscarry, pass away, perish by an untimely birth)abort, aborted, aborting1. To give birth before the fetus is viable; have a miscarriage; to fail to be completed.2. To cut short because of some failure in equipment: "To abort a flight because of radio failure."3. Originally, "to set" or "to disappear" (as the sun). Composed of ab-, "from" and oriri- "to arise"; the part of the sky, or the world, in which the sun rises; the East.aborticideThe killing of a fetus during an abortion.aborticide, feticideThe killing of a fetus.abortifacientA drug or device that causes an abortion or kills the fetus before birth.abortion, abortional1. Expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is viable; however, medical personnel will also ue this term for a miscarriage, which is involuntary, calling it a "spontaneous abortion".2. Induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent survival.3. Anything that fails to develop, progress, or mature; such as, a design, project, or a badly developed plan, etc.4. To miscarry, to disappear.4. Etymology: ab-, "from, away from" and oriri, "to come into being, to rise, to be born".aboulo-, aboul-, abulo-, abul-(Greek: irresolution, indecision, loss or defect of the ability to make decisions)aboulia, abulia1. Loss or impairment of the ability to perform voluntary actions or to make decisions.2. Loss of will-power, as a mental disorder.3. Reduction in speech, movement, thought, and emotional reaction; a common result of bilateral frontal lobe disease.aboulias, abuliasLoss or impairment of the ability to make decisions or act independently.aboulic, abulicRelating to or suffering from aboulia/abulia.aboulomania, abulomaniaA mental disorder in which there is a loss of will-power.abulia, abulic1. Absence of willpower or wishpower; the term implies that the subject has a desire to do something but the desire is without power or energy.2. A disorder marked by the partial or total inability to make decisions.paraboulia, parabuliaPerversion of volition or will in which one impulse is checked and replaced by another.