thalassemia
/ˌθæləˈsiːmiə/ noun
Forms thalassemias thalassaemia
- noun (medicine) Any of a group of inherited disorders in which the amount of hemoglobin in the blood is reduced.
Synonyms
Mediterranean anemia Mediterranean disease thalassaemia Mediterranean anaemia
Etymology
From Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa, “sea”) (see also thalass-) and -emia (“blood”) (from αἷμα (haîma)). The etymology is suggestive of the epidemiology of the disorder, which is more common in people of Mediterranean descent. First attested in 1932.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “thalassemia”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details