uncinariasis
|un-ci-na-ri-a-sis|
/ˌʌn.sɪ.nəˈraɪ.ə.sɪs/
hookworm infection
Etymology
'uncinariasis' originates from Neo-Latin, specifically the genus name 'Uncinaria', where the Latin root 'uncinus' meant 'hook'.
'uncinariasis' was formed by combining the Neo-Latin genus name 'Uncinaria' with the Greek-derived medical suffix '-iasis' (meaning 'disease'), and this formation entered modern English medical usage in the 19th–20th century.
Initially the elements referred to the genus name for certain hookworms ('Uncinaria'), but over time the compound came to mean 'disease caused by Uncinaria' or more generally 'hookworm infection'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
infection caused by hookworms of the genus Uncinaria; a type of hookworm disease (often used in veterinary contexts).
The veterinarian diagnosed the puppy with uncinariasis and started an appropriate deworming treatment.
Synonyms
Noun 2
(Less commonly) Any hookworm infection in humans or animals; sometimes used interchangeably with ancylostomiasis in older literature.
Historical reports sometimes used uncinariasis to describe human hookworm outbreaks before species distinctions were clear.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/24 09:17