angioplasty
UK[ˈændʒiəʊˌplæsti]US[ˈændʒioʊˌplæsti]
n
a surgical operation to repair a damaged or blocked blood vessel, especially by inserting a small balloon to widen it.
Morpheme Breakdown
angio
plasty
angio
vessel
plasty
molding
Etymology
the term angioplasty is a modern medical compound formed from two ancient greek roots. 'angio' derives from 'angeîon', which referred broadly to a vessel or receptacle, and in medical terminology became specialized to denote blood or lymph vessels. 'plasty' comes from 'plastos', the verbal adjective of 'plassein' meaning 'to mold or form'. the compound thus literally means 'vessel molding', a logical and descriptive name for the procedure of reshaping a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel to restore proper flow. this construction follows the classical tradition of using precise greek roots to create transparent technical terms in scientific fields like medicine.
Analysis
Structure: angio (vessel) + plasty (molding)
angio originates from greek 'angeîon' meaning 'vessel, container'. plasty originates from greek 'plastos' meaning 'formed, molded'.
Examples
the patient underwent a successful coronary angioplasty to clear the arterial blockage.
balloon angioplasty is a common minimally invasive procedure for treating atherosclerosis.
after the angioplasty, a stent was placed to keep the artery open.