Strangury

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medical condition in which urine is passed drop by drop, accompanied by pain and a constant urge to urinate
2. A painful slow discharge of urine caused by spasm of the bladder or urinary tract and often linked to infection
3. Difficult and agonizing urination in which the bladder empties only slowly and with a persistent, uncomfortable urge

Etymology: Strangury is a medical term for painful, difficult urination, in which the bladder seems to produce only drops at a time despite constant urge. Its name comes from the Greek "strangouría", built from "stranx", meaning a drop or a trickle, and "ouron", meaning urine. The Greek word thus describes the condition almost exactly: urine dribbling out drop by drop. The term passed into Latin as "stranguria" and then into Middle English as "strangury". Physicians used it for centuries as a precise diagnostic label, long before anyone had a clear understanding of the urinary tract's workings. The word reached English by way of learned medical writing rather than everyday speech, which is why its Greek components remain easy to see.

Synonyms: dysuria