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Glite Dictionary
steatorrhea

steatorrhea

1 9.9
Stools that contain too much fat and float and smell bad
  • noun
  • /ˌstiːəˈtɔːriə/
  • Specialized
: esteatorrea
  • The doctor explained that steatorrhea can indicate a serious issue with fat absorption in the body.

Examples

  • Specifically, what if Real Steve has steatorrhea (that means he cannot absorb fat, and fat stays in one's stool)?

    Blog text (3)

  • The patient was admitted with pain in the lower thoracic cavity, projectile vomiting, and viscous steatorrhea.

    Article 99 (1992)

  • After the tests, the nutritionist confirmed that his steatorrhea was due to a pancreatic disorder.

  • Patients suffering from steatorrhea often face discomfort because of the foul-smelling and floating stools.

Surface Forms

steatorrhea singular
steatorrheas plural

Morphology

steatorrhea = steato + rrhea

The term is built from Greek combining forms ('steato-' = fat, '-rrhea' = flow/discharge) that are not recognizable standalone English words to an average B1 learner, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

Steatorrhea comes from Greek parts steato- meaning 'fat' and -rrhea meaning 'flow', the same -rrhea you see in diarrhea. So, steatorrhea is a 'fat flow': fat in the stool that makes stools greasy, smelly, and often float.