azygos
- adjective
- /əˈzaɪɡəs/
- Specialized
- The azygos vein is a major vessel draining blood from the chest wall.
Examples
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An azygos lobe is a rare anatomical variation in the right lung.
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The muscle is azygos, meaning it does not have a counterpart on the opposite side.
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The azygos vein plays a crucial role in the circulatory system.
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In human anatomy, the azygos vein is unique.
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An azygos muscle is one that exists alone without a pair on the opposite side.
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In anatomy, an azygos structure refers to an element that lacks a corresponding counterpart.
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The azygos lobe in the lung is characterized by its solitary presence in the right lung.
Synonyms
A single body part that is not one of a pair
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A vein on the right chest that carries blood from the chest and belly to the vein above the heart
Surface Forms
Morphology
azygos = zygote (opaque) = a + zygos
The prefix 'a-' is recognizable as a negative, but the root 'zygos' is a Greek combining form not familiar to average learners, so the base is not transparently recoverable from common English vocabulary.
Etymology
The word azygos comes from Greek parts a- 'not' and zygos 'yoked'. Think of a 'yoke' that joins two animals, so azygos means 'not joined' and is used in anatomy for a part that exists alone rather than as a pair.