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What does the root epidemic mean?
Epidemic
Epidemic: The occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period. A sudden severe outbreak of a disease such as SARS. From the Greek “epi-“, “upon” + “demos”, “people or population” = “epidemos” = “upon the population.” See also: Endemic; Pandemic.
What is the base word for epidemic?
The term epidemic (from the Greek epi [on] plus demos [people]), first used by Homer, took its medical meaning when Hippocrates used it as the title of one of his famous treatises.
What word has the same Greek root as epidemic?
Like epidemic, pandemic ultimately derives from the Greek pándēmos, “common, public.” Also like epidemic, pandemic was originally used of diseases when in came into English.
What is the suffix of pandemic?
In pandemic, the -ic suffix is also Greek, where it’s used for adjectives, and Latin took that and gave us words like civic, classic, and aquatic among many others.
What is the prefix for epidemic?
prefix epi-
You can remember that the prefix epi- means “upon” from the noun epidemic, which is a widespread disease that comes “upon” people; you can also recall that epi- means “over” via the word epidermis, which is the outer skin that lies “over” lower layers of skin.
What does the suffix demic mean?
The element “-demic,” shared by “epidemic” and “pandemic,” goes back to the ancient Greek root “demos,” meaning “people.” “Epidemic” literally means “prevalent among a people,” and started getting used for contagious diseases affecting whole populations in the early 17th century.
What does the word epidemic?
1 : an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time : an outbreak of epidemic disease. 2 : an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development an epidemic of bankruptcies. Other Words from epidemic Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About epidemic.
Is epidemic and pandemic the same?
AN EPIDEMIC is a disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region. A PANDEMIC is an epidemic that’s spread over multiple countries or continents.
What is the prefix of pandemic?
The word “pandemic” comes from the Greek “pan-“, “all” + “demos,” “people or population” = “pandemos” = “all the people.” A pandemic affects all (nearly all) of the people. By contrast, “epi-” means “upon.” An epidemic is visited upon the people.