Angiological

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the study of blood vessels and lymphatic systems, including their structure and function
2. Concerned with the medical aspects of arteries, veins, and capillaries and the diseases affecting them
3. Pertaining to the scientific examination and treatment of vascular conditions within the circulatory system

Etymology: Angiological is a straightforward formation: it is built on "angiology," the branch of medicine concerned with blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, with the adjective suffix "-ical" added to it. The base word itself comes from Ancient Greek "angeion," a vessel or receptacle, which combined with "-logia" (the study of, from "logos," speech or reasoning) produced a term for the study of vessels. The Greek "angeion" was itself built from "angos," a container or vessel, so the medical sense of the word is an old Greek idea of a container given a scientific frame. Because "angiology" was coined in modern scientific language from classical roots, the word did not exist in ancient Greek medicine. Its sense is a deliberate modern construction. The "-ical" ending, from Latin "-icalis" through Old French and Middle English, is the same suffix found in words like "medical" and "physical," and it is simply attached to the noun to turn it into a description of anything relating to vascular study or treatment.