Thrombolysed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Dissolved or broken up a blood clot by means of a medication that targets and destroys the clot
2. Treated a clot in a blood vessel so that the drug-driven breakdown of the fibrin mesh cleared the blockage
3. Had a clot removed or dissolved through the action of a thrombolytic agent given to restore blood flow

Etymology: The Greek roots are "thrombos," meaning a lump or clot, and "lysis," meaning a loosening or dissolving. Ancient Greek physicians had no such treatment, though. Thrombolysis is a modern medical coinage built from these classical parts to name the breaking down of a blood clot with drugs. The "-ed" ending is ordinary English, turning the noun into a verb for giving that treatment. The suffix "-lysis" is also found in "analysis," which combines "ana-" (up or through) with "lysis," literally a loosening-up or breaking-apart. Medicine borrowed the same element to describe the dissolving of clots, so the two words share a root but describe very different acts.