hematochezia
- noun
- /ˌhɛmətəˈkiːziə/
- Specialized
- If a person has hematochezia, they should seek medical attention immediately to identify the cause.
Examples
-
If bleeding is heavy, hematemesis, hematochezia, or melena may occur.
Academic text (2005) -
The doctor explained that hematochezia can indicate bleeding in the lower digestive tract.
-
After the surgery, the patient experienced hematochezia, prompting further medical evaluation.
Surface Forms
Morphology
hematochezia = hemato + chezia
The word is formed from medical Greek combining forms ('hemato-' + '-chezia') that are not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning is not transparently derivable from common English base words.
Etymology
Hematochezia comes from Greek parts hema- ('blood') and -chezia ('to pass stool'). So the word literally means 'passing fresh blood in the stool', which is why it refers to blood seen in the stool.