argyria
1
9.9
- noun
- /ɑrˈdʒɪrɪə/
- Specialized
- People who consume a silver solution may develop argyria, resulting in noticeable changes in skin color.
Examples
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Scientists have known for years that the condition, called argyria, had something to do with silver.
Blog text (16) -
As it turns out, argyria is caused by a complex series of chemical reactions, Hurt says.
Blog text (16) -
Hurt's graduate student, Jingyu Liu, now a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, thought those same toxic ions might also be produced when silver enters the body and could play a role in argyria.
Blog text (16) -
Excessive exposure to silver can lead to a condition known as argyria, which causes the skin to turn a shade of blue-gray.
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The documentary explained how argyria is a rare condition caused by silver accumulation in the body.
Surface Forms
Morphology
argyria = argyr + ia
Formed from the Greek combining form argyr- (silver) + the medical noun-forming suffix -ia; the combining form is not a recognizable English base, so the word's structure and meaning are not transparent to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Argyria comes from the old Greek word argyros, which means 'silver' and is the same root in Argentina. So argyria is a condition where too much silver in the body makes the skin look blue or gray, like a silvery color.