Hypoesthesias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reduced sensitivity to sensory stimuli, where individual perception of touch or pain is diminished
2. A condition characterized by decreased ability to feel sensations, either in localized areas or throughout the body
3. An impairment in sensory perception that can affect temperature, pain, or tactile sensations in varying degrees

Etymology: The plural "hypoesthesias" is simply the plural of "hypoesthesia," so the real story is that of the singular. Its two parts come from Ancient Greek: "hupo-" meaning "under" or "below," and the "-esthesia" ending, from Greek "aisthesis," meaning perception or sensation through the senses. Put together, the term describes sensation that sits below the normal level, so a patient with reduced feeling in the skin has hypoesthesia. The pattern is a modern one. The Greek pieces were combined in later medical writing, so the word was built from classical building blocks rather than handed down from antiquity. Its "hypo-" element is the same prefix found in words like "hypothermia" and "hypotension," which share the idea of something lying beneath a normal range.

Synonyms: numbness, reduced sensation, loss of feeling

Antonyms: hyperesthesia, increased sensation