Dysmenorrhoeal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the condition of experiencing pain during menstrual periods
2. Describing symptoms or conditions associated with menstrual cramps and discomfort
3. Pertaining to the pain or distress occurring during menstrual bleeding

Etymology: Dysmenorrhoeal is built from "dysmenorrhoea" with the adjective-forming suffix "-al" added at the end. The core of the word is Greek: "dys-" meant "bad" or "difficult," "men" referred to the month, and "rhoia" meant "a flow" or "discharge," so the whole term literally means something like "difficult monthly flow." Medical writers coined "dysmenorrhoea" from these classical elements in the modern period, so the word is a scientific formation rather than a term from ancient Greek medicine. The suffix "-al" comes from Latin "-alis," and English uses it to turn nouns into adjectives meaning "relating to" the noun. Attaching it to "dysmenorrhoea" produces a term for anything relating to painful menstruation, such as symptoms or conditions. The spelling with "oe" is the traditional British form, while "dysmenorrheal" with "e" is the American variant.

Synonyms: menstrual pain, cramps