ateliosis
|a-te-li-o-sis|
/ˌætəˈlaɪəsɪs/
incomplete or arrested development
Etymology
'ateliosis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'atelēs' (ἀτελής), combined with the suffix '-osis' from Greek meaning 'condition' or 'process'. 'atelēs' is formed from the prefix 'a-' meaning 'not' and 'telēs'/'telos' meaning 'complete' or 'end'.
'ateliosis' developed as a New Latin/medical coinage in the 19th century from Greek elements ('atelēs' + '-osis') and was later adopted into English medical usage with the same form 'ateliosis'.
Initially, the Greek root conveyed the general idea of 'imperfection' or 'incompleteness'; over time the term became specialized in medicine to denote 'arrested or incomplete physical development'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a medical condition characterized by arrested or incomplete physical growth resulting in small stature with relatively normal body proportions.
The patient was diagnosed with ateliosis, presenting with proportionate short stature but otherwise normal body proportions.
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Noun 2
(archaic/rare) A state of imperfection or incompleteness.
In older medical texts, ateliosis was sometimes used broadly to mean a form of bodily imperfection.
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Last updated: 2025/11/10 02:50