Progression

rhinorrhea (ry-nuh-REE-uh) noun

A runny nose.

[From Neo-Latin, from Greek rhino- (nose), -rrhea (flow).]

Another word with the same prefix: rhinoceros. Another word with the same suffix: logorrhea (excessive flow of words: talkativeness).

So what happens when you combine these two words? You redefine rhinorrhea: a rhinoceros who talks too much.

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=rhinorrhea

"Once the volunteers began sniffling, they rated the severity of their symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, stuffy noses, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue and chills."
A.J. Hostetler; Study: Herb (echinacea) Can't Curb Cold; Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia); Aug 4, 2005.

Prevention is better than cure, the saying goes. But sometimes no amount of prevention helps, and we are forced to visit those trained in the healing arts. Like any profession, the world of medicine has its own jargon. If you have come down with a bad case of medical jargonitis, help is near. Here is our prescription: take the five words in this weeks' dose and email us next week.

-Anu Garg
gargATwordsmith.org

   

Permalink:
http://wordsmith.org/words/rhinorrhea.html

Posted by Keya at August 29, 2005 02:19 PM