Diathermic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the use of high-frequency electric currents to heat deep body tissues for medical treatment
2. Describing a process that warms internal tissue by passing electrical energy through the body, used in therapy
3. Involving the heating of deep biological tissue by electromagnetic energy, as in certain physiotherapy methods

Etymology: Diathermic is a plain formation: it is the adjective of "diathermy", with the common suffix "-ic" added to it. The adjective therefore describes anything connected with diathermy, the medical technique of generating heat inside body tissue, usually with electrical or high-frequency currents, to warm deep muscles and tissues without heating the skin's surface. The noun it rests on is itself built from Greek. "Dia" means "through" and "therme" means "heat", so "diathermy" literally means heating through. Once the noun was in use, the adjective followed the usual pattern of English medical vocabulary, where a noun ending in "-y" is given an "-ic" partner for describing the technique or its effects. The word thus describes deep, internal warming rather than the surface warmth of a hot pack.

Synonyms: diathermous