| Bio-Word Dissections | |||||||
| Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. | |||||||
To perform our bio-word dissection, we'll need to proceed carefully. First, we come to the prefix (pneu-), or (pneumo-) which means lung. Next, is ultra, meaning extreme, and microscopic, meaning small. Now we come to (silico-), which refers to silicon, and (volcano-) which refers to the mineral particles that make up a volcano. Then we have (coni-), a derivative of the Greek word konis meaning dust. Finally, we have the suffix (-osis) which means affected with. Now lets rebuild what we have dissected: Considering the prefix (pneumo-) and the suffix (-osis), we can determine that the lungs are affected with something. But what? Breaking down the rest of the terms we get extremely small (ultramicroscopic) silicon (silico-) and volcanic (volcano-) dust (coni-) particles. Thus, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a disease of the lungs resulting from the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. That wasn't so difficult, now was it? Now that we've honed our dissection skills, let's try some frequently used biology terms. For instance: Arthritis (Arth-) refers to joints and (-itis) means inflammation. Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint(s). Erythrocyte (Erythro-) means red and (-cyte) means cell. Erythrocytes are red blood cells. Okay, let's move on to more difficult words. For instance: Electroencephalogram Dissecting, we have (electro-), pertaining to electricity, (encephal-) meaning brain, and (-gram) meaning record. Together we have an electric brain record or EEG. Thus, we have a record of brain wave activity using electrical contacts. Schizophrenia Individuals with this disorder suffer from delusions and hallucinations. (Schis-) means split and (phren-) means mind. Thermoacidophiles These are ancient bacteria that live in extremely hot and acidic environments. (Therm-) means heat, next you have (-acid), and finally (phil-) means love. Together we have heat and acid lovers. Once you understand the commonly used prefixes and suffixes, obtuse words are a piece of cake! Now that you know how to apply the word dissection technique, I'm sure you'll be able to determine the meaning of the word thigmotropism. Share Your Opinions Have questions about biology terms? Come on over to the Biology Forum and share your thoughts, opinions and feelings. Until next time...
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