Urethrostenosis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pathological constriction or narrowing of the urethra that obstructs the flow of urine
2. An abnormal tightening of the urethral passage that restricts normal urinary function
3. A stricture or abnormal narrowing within the urethra that impedes the passage of urine

Etymology: Urethrostenosis is a modern medical coinage, built entirely from Greek parts rather than inherited from ancient texts. It combines "ourethra," the Greek word for the urinary passage (from "ouron," urine, plus a root meaning "to hold" or "to keep"), with "stenosis," from Greek "stenōsis," meaning a narrowing or constriction, itself from "stenos," narrow. The compound describes an abnormal narrowing of the urethra. Because it is assembled from classical building blocks, the word is a clear example of how physicians in later centuries coined precise terms for conditions that ancient writers either described loosely or not at all. Anyone who recognises "urethra" and "stenosis" elsewhere in medicine can read the word straight off its parts, which is precisely why such formations were favoured: the meaning is transparent to specialists across languages.

Synonyms: urethral stricture, urethral stenosis