atresia
|a-tre-si-a|
/əˈtriːziə/
absence or closure of an opening
Etymology
'atresia' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'a-' meaning 'not' and 'trēsis' (τρῆσις) meaning 'perforation' or 'opening'.
'atresia' entered medical Latin/Neo-Latin as 'atresia' and was later borrowed into English medical usage (from the 18th–19th centuries onward) to denote absence or closure of a normal bodily opening.
Initially it expressed the idea of 'lack of perforation' or 'no opening'; over time it became specialized in medicine to mean the congenital absence or pathological closure of a bodily opening or canal.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a medical condition in which a normal body opening or tubular structure is absent or closed, often congenital (e.g., biliary atresia, esophageal atresia).
The newborn was diagnosed with esophageal atresia and required surgery soon after birth.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/13 17:24