Real Words Without Definition
This one is a judgement call.
A scientific or medical word built out of Greek and Latin roots. This is the biggest group in the list, about a third of everything.
Medicine gives us anconitis, inflammation of the elbow, and adenalgy, pain in a gland. Chemistry gives us acetylsalicylic. Anatomy, botany and zoology all do the same thing.
Once you know the roots they are completely predictable, which is why no dictionary lists them all. You can keep making new ones forever.
18,355 words · sorted A to Z · each with a line on why it is here
Matches the word itself, not the note beside it. Case does not matter.
| Word, sorted Z to A | Field and meaning |
|---|---|
| poliomyelopathy | medical, disease of the cord's grey matter |
| polioneuromere | neurology, grey-matter segment of the cord |
| politarchic | classical, governed by politarchs |
| pollenite | palynology, a fossil pollen grain |
| pollicar | anatomy, of the thumb (L. pollex, pollicis) |
| pollinoid | botany, a pollen-like male reproductive body |
| poloconic | cartography, a pole-based conic projection |
| poluphloisboic | literary, Gk polyphloisboio, loud-roaring sea |
| poluphloisboiotatotic | literary, extended form of poluphloisboic |
| poluphloisboiotic | literary, loud-roaring, of the sea |
| polyadenia | medical, disease with many enlarged glands |
| polyadenoma | medical, tumour of several glands |
| polyaemic | medical, having excess of blood |
| polyamylose | chemistry, a polymer of amylose |
| polyanthy | botany, bearing of many flowers |
| polyarthrous | zoology, having many joints |
| polyaxonic | anatomy, having many axons or axes |
| polybranch | zoology, having many gills |
| polybranchian | zoology, of the many-gilled molluscs |
| polybranchiate | zoology, having many gills |
| polybrid | horticulture, a hybrid of several parents |
| polycarpy | botany, fruiting many times |
| polychaetal | zoology, of the polychaete worms |
| polychasial | botany, of a polychasium |
| polychasium | botany, a cyme with more than two branches |
| polychrestical | pharmacy, of a drug good for many ills |
| polychresty | pharmacy, usefulness for many ailments |
| polycitral | chemistry, a polymer of citral |
| polycladine | zoology, of the Polycladida |
| polyclona | botany, many-branched (Gk klon, twig) |
| polycotyl | botany, plant with many cotyledons |
| polycotylous | botany, having many cotyledons |
| polycyanide | chemistry, a compound cyanide |
| polydermous | botany, having many skins or coats |
| polydermy | botany, condition of many coats |
| polydontia | medical, having supernumerary teeth |
| polyesthesia | medical, one touch felt at several points |
| polyesthetic | medical, of polyesthesia |
| polyglobulia | medical, excess of red blood cells |
| polyglobulism | medical, excess of red blood cells |
| polygonoid | botany, resembling Polygonum |
| polygynaiky | having many wives (Gk gynaik-, woman) |
| polygyral | anatomy, having many gyri or whorls |
| polyhaemic | medical, having excess of blood |
| polyhalide | chemistry, a compound halide |
| polyhalogen | chemistry, containing many halogen atoms |
| polyhemia | medical, excess of blood |
| polyhemic | medical, of polyhemia |
| polyhidrosis | medical, excessive sweating |
| polyideism | psychology, state of holding many ideas |
| polylepidous | botany, having many scales |
| polymastigate | zoology, having many flagella |
| polymastigote | zoology, a many-flagellate protozoan |
| polymastigous | zoology, having many flagella |
| polymetameric | zoology, having many metameres |
| polymetochia | entomology, harbouring many guest insects |
| polymetochic | entomology, of polymetochia |
| polymicrian | bibliography, much matter in small compass |
| polymnite | mineralogy, stone with landscape markings |
| polymolybdate | chemistry, a condensed molybdate salt |
| polynaphthene | chemistry, a polymerized naphthene |
| polyneural | anatomy, having many nerves |
| polyneuric | anatomy, having many nerves |
| polyodontal | zoology, having many teeth |
| polyoecious | botany, bearing flowers of several sexual kinds |
| polyoecism | botany, condition of being polyoecious |
| polyoecy | botany, condition of being polyoecious |
| polyonymal | having many names |
| polyonymist | one who uses or upholds many names |
| polyophthalmic | zoology, having many eyes |
| polyopsy | medical, multiple vision of one object |
| polypapilloma | medical, multiple papillomatous tumour |
| polyparesis | medical, paresis of many parts |
| polyparian | zoology, of a polypary, the polyp colony case |
| polypharmacon | pharmacy, a medicine of many ingredients |
| polypharmic | pharmacy, of polypharmacy |
| polyphloisboioism | literary, Gk polyphloisboio, loud-roaring sea |
| polyphloisboism | literary, loud roaring, as of the sea |
| polyphonium | music, a many-voiced keyboard instrument |
| polyphylline | botany, having many leaves |
| polypinnate | botany, many times pinnate |
| polyplegia | medical, paralysis of many muscles |
| polyplegic | medical, of polyplegia |
| polyploidic | genetics, polyploid |
| polypomorphic | zoology, polyp-shaped |
| polyporite | palaeobotany, a fossil polypore fungus |
| polyprene | chemistry, a polymer of isoprene |
| polyprothetic | linguistics, taking many prefixed elements |
| polyrhizous | botany, having many roots |
| polysalicylide | chemistry, a condensed salicylide |
| polysemeia | having many meanings or signs (Gk semeion) |
| polyseptate | biology, having many septa |
| polysomatous | zoology, made up of many bodies |
| polysomitic | zoology, having many somites |
| polysomous | zoology, having many bodies |
| polyspondylic | anatomy, having many vertebrae |
| polyspondylous | anatomy, having many vertebrae |
| polyspondyly | anatomy, state of having many vertebrae |
| polystellic | botany, having many steles |
| polystichoid | botany, resembling the fern Polystichum |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
