Dyslipidaemia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pathological state marked by irregular lipid concentrations in the bloodstream that can affect overall health
2. An abnormality in lipid levels, particularly cholesterol and triglycerides, which may lead to cardiovascular complications
3. A medical condition characterized by unusual amounts of fats like cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood

Etymology: Dyslipidaemia is a modern medical coinage, assembled from Greek parts rather than inherited from ancient usage. Its first element, "dys-", comes from the Greek prefix meaning "bad", "ill" or "difficult", as in "dyspepsia" (poor digestion). The middle element, "lipid", derives from the Greek "lipos", meaning fat, and refers to the family of fatty substances that includes cholesterol and triglycerides. The ending "-aemia" comes from the Greek "haima", meaning blood, and in medicine it denotes a condition of the blood, so the word literally signals abnormal fat in the blood. The ancient Greeks and Romans had no concept of blood lipids as such, so the compound reflects a much later scientific vocabulary built from classical building blocks. The spelling "dyslipidaemia" is the British form, while "dyslipidemia" is the American variant, and both follow the same logic.