Word parts
What it means
The word appears in the names of several diseases. In multiple sclerosisMUL-tih-pul skluh-ROH-sisA long-term disease in which the immune system damages the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.scler/o hard-osis conditionFull entry , scar-like patches form in the brain and spinal cord; in arteriosclerosisar-teer-ee-oh-skluh-ROH-sisThickening and stiffening of the walls of the arteries, so they lose their ability to stretch.arteri/o arteryscler/o hard-osis conditionFull entry , artery walls harden; in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the nerve paths that control muscles harden as nerve cells die; and in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), the skin and organs thicken.
At a glance
| Spanish | esclerosis |
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Related terms
-osis
A word ending that means an abnormal condition or process, or an increase.
multiple sclerosis
A long-term disease in which the immune system damages the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
arteriosclerosis
Thickening and stiffening of the walls of the arteries, so they lose their ability to stretch.
scler/o
A word root that means hard, or the sclera, the white of the eye.