Anemias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A variety of conditions characterized by a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood, leading to reduced oxygen transport
2. A classification of disorders primarily marked by fatigue and pallor due to insufficient healthy red blood cells
3. A group of medical conditions where the body's ability to produce or maintain adequate levels of red blood cells is impaired

Etymology: "Anemias" is simply the plural of "anemia," so its history is that of the singular. That word comes from Ancient Greek "anaimía," built from "an-," meaning "not," and "haîma," meaning "blood," with the suffix "-ía" added to form a noun of condition. Its literal sense was therefore "lack of blood," a description of a state rather than a disease in the modern medical sense. The Greek root survives in many other English words. "Haîma" gives us "hemo-" and "-emia" in terms like "leukemia," where "leuk-" means "white," and in the medical "hemoglobin," while the same "an-" prefix appears in words such as "anarchy" and "anonymous." The "a-" or "an-" form simply negates whatever follows, so the Greek word describes the absence of the thing that "haîma" names.

Synonyms: blood deficiency, anemia