argyria
|ar-gy-ri-a|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈdʒɪriə/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈdʒɪrɪə/
silver deposition → blue-gray discoloration
Etymology
'argyria' originates from New Latin (medical New Latin) specifically from Greek 'argyros' meaning 'silver'.
'argyria' derives from Greek 'argyrion'/'argyros' (ἀργύριον/ἄργυρος) meaning 'silver'; it passed into New Latin as 'argyria' and was adopted in English in medical usage to denote silver-related conditions.
Initially it referred generally to 'silver' or 'the quality of being silver'; over time, especially in medical contexts, it came to denote the specific condition of tissue discoloration caused by silver deposition ('argyria').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a medical condition caused by prolonged exposure to silver or silver compounds, in which silver particles deposit in tissues and produce a blue-gray or slate-gray discoloration of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
The patient developed argyria after long-term use of colloidal silver.
Synonyms
Noun 2
(rare, historical or literary) The quality or state of being silver or silver-colored; silveriness.
The moonlight gave the landscape an argyria that made it seem otherworldly.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/12 13:46