prolapse
UK[ˈprəʊlæps]US[ˈproʊlæps]
n
A medical condition where an organ slips down or falls out of its usual position in the body.
v
To slip down or fall out of place, used especially for a body organ.
Morpheme Breakdown
pro
lapse
pro
forward/down
lapse
slip/fall
Etymology
The word "prolapse" is a direct borrowing from the Latin medical term prolapsus, the past participle of prolabi meaning "to slip forward or fall down." This Latin verb is itself a compound of the prefix pro- ("forward, down") and the verb labi ("to slip, slide, or fall"). The root labi traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root leb- ("to hang down loosely, to be weak"), which also gives us words like "lapse" and "collapse." Thus, the literal meaning of "a forward slipping" evolved into the precise modern medical term for the displacement of an organ from its normal anatomical position.
Analysis
Structure: pro (forward/down) + lapse (slip/fall)
- pro: A prefix of Latin origin meaning "forward, forth, down, or away."
- lapse: A root from Latin lapsus, meaning "a slipping or falling."
Examples
The patient was diagnosed with a rectal prolapse.
Severe coughing can cause the pelvic organs to prolapse.
The surgical procedure was necessary to repair the mitral valve prolapse.