-sclerosis
hardening
From Greek sklērōsis, hardening, from sklēros, hard
Meaning
What does -sclerosis mean?
-sclerosis is a suffix meaning hardening. It comes from Greek sklērōsis, hardening, from sklēros, hard.
It is scler/o (hard) plus -osis (condition); its opposite is -malacia, softening.
In real words
Medical words with -sclerosis
arteriosclerosis
thickening and hardening of artery walls, so they lose their stretch
atherosclerosis
buildup of fatty plaque and scar tissue in the inner lining of arteries, which stiffens and narrows them · In the dictionary
otosclerosis
abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that stops sound passing through properly, causing hearing loss
Don't mix it up
Parts easily confused with -sclerosis
Sources
Checked against
Written for biofideX in plain words, after checking these references:
- 1.4 – Suffix – Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e
- Appendix A: Word Parts and What They Mean
- 1.5: Common Suffixes
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Changes in structure
-sclerosis is one of 11 parts in this lesson. Learn them together, then take real words apart.
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