Chlorhydria

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. It refers to the presence of hydrochloric acid in the stomach's gastric juice, a normal part of digestion
2. This term describes the condition in which hydrochloric acid is found in the gastric secretions of the stomach
3. It denotes the amount of hydrochloric acid present in the stomach contents during the digestive process

Etymology: Chlorhydria is a medical term built from three Greek-derived elements. "Chlor-" comes from the Greek "chlōros," meaning pale green or yellow-green, the same root behind the element chlorine, which was named for its greenish gas. "Hydro-" comes from the Greek "hydōr," meaning water, and the suffix "-ia" marks a condition or state. Put together, the word names a state in which there is too much hydrochloric acid, or too little, in the stomach, depending on how it is used in clinical writing. The word was coined as a technical label rather than inherited from ancient usage. Ancient Greek physicians had no concept of gastric acid as a measurable substance, so the term reflects the chemistry of later centuries, when hydrochloric acid was identified and linked to digestion. Its meaning is therefore tied entirely to modern medicine, not to any older tradition.