lithiasis

9.9

Hard stones form inside an organ like the kidney or gallbladder

noun
/lɪˈθaɪəsɪs/

Specialized

: litiásis

There were three patients with a history of renal lithiasis.

Examples

The doctor diagnosed her with lithiasis, explaining that it is the formation of stones in the kidney.
Lithiasis occurs when minerals in the body crystallize, forming hard stones that may block organ function.
Many patients suffer from lithiasis, which can lead to severe abdominal pain.

Compounds

renal lithiasis

Specialized

5.1

Small hard stones that form in the kidneys

Surface Forms

lithiasis singular

lithiases plural

Morphology

lithiasis = lith (opaque) = lith + iasis

The term is a technical medical formation from Greek combining forms ('lith-' meaning stone + '-iasis' meaning condition) that is not transparently interpretable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Lithiasis comes from Greek parts litho- 'stone' and -iasis 'condition', and the same litho- appears in monolith, which means 'one stone'. So lithiasis is when 'stones' form inside the body, such as in the kidney or gallbladder.