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azygous

azygous

9.9
A single body part that is not one of a pair
  • adjective
  • /əˈzaɪɡəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ázygo
  • The azygous vein is an important structure that drains blood from the thoracic wall.

Examples

  • My hunches at this point are a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection either to the vertical vein or to the azygous vein.

    Academic text (1990)
  • 13, 14 Somatostatin and its synthetic analogue octreotide are effective in reducing hepatic blood flow, wedged hepatic venous pressure, and azygous blood flow.

    Academic text (1995)
  • In some patients, an azygous anatomical arrangement can complicate surgical procedures.

  • The doctor explained that the azygous system helps to bypass obstructions in the venous system.

Synonyms

azygos
vsazygous
  • Specialized
9.9

A body part that is alone and has no matching part on the other side

is an alternative form used in the same anatomical context

Antonyms

2.5

Two things that match and go together

Compounds

azygous vein
  • Specialized
7.9

A vein on the right chest near the spine that carries blood to the large vein above the heart

Surface Forms

azygous positive

Morphology

azygous = zygous (opaque) = a + zyg + ous

Formed by negating the technical combining-adjective 'zygous' (paired); because 'zygous' is a specialized, low-frequency biological form, the negated meaning is not directly inferable by average learners.

Etymology

The word azygous comes from the parts a- 'not' and zygous, a root that refers to a 'yoke' or joining two things. Because a 'yoke' joins a pair, azygous means 'not joined', so it describes a single or unpaired body part.