The Prefix Hypo and Related Words

The Prefix Hypo and Related Words The Prefix Hypo and Related Words The Prefix Hypo and Related Words By Mark Nichol A recent post listed and defined words with the Greek prefix hyper (meaning â€Å"above,† â€Å"beyond,† or â€Å"over†). Here, words based on its antonym, hypo-, are the focus. The most common words beginning with hypo include hypodermic (literally, â€Å"under skin†), an adjective describing injection under the skin or tissue or growths beneath the skin (the word is also employed as a noun, and hypo is a common truncation), and hypothermia (â€Å"under heat†), the term for abnormally low body temperature. Other medical conditions include hypoglycemia (â€Å"under sugar blood†)- colloquially known as â€Å"low blood sugar†- and hypochondria (â€Å"under cartilage†), mental depression in which the sufferer imagines physical ailments, so named from the original belief that such feelings originated in the abdominal organs; the term for the pathological state is hypochondriasis. Hypochondriac is both an adjective describing the condition and a noun pertaining to the sufferer. Hypoallergenic means â€Å"unlikely to cause an allergic reaction,† and the hypothalamus is a key part of the brain that regulates automatic processes in the body. Oxygen deficiency is called hypoxia, and hypomania is a mild mania associated with bipolar disorder. (The respective adjectives are hypoxic and hypomanic.) Other well-known words in the hypo family are hypocrisy (â€Å"under decide†), which evolved in meaning in Greek from â€Å"sift† to â€Å"play a part† and now describes actions or attitudes that contradict one’s stated beliefs or opinions, and hypothesis (â€Å"under proposition†), which denotes something assumed and taken for granted for the sake of argument; the plural is hypotheses. One who demonstrates hypocrisy is deemed hypocritical and called a hypocrite. The adjectival form for hypothesis is hypothetical, and the verb form is hypothesize. A hypotenuse is the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle. (The root word is the basis of tension and tenuous.) More obscure terms in this group include hypocorism (â€Å"under caress†), meaning â€Å"pet name,† as in a diminutive like Bobby, a term of endearment such as honey, or baby-talk forms of address such as papa; such words are hypocoristic. One who lives underground is hypogean (the antonym is epigean), and a hypocaust is a chamber for lighting a fire to heat rooms located above. (The root is the same as that seen in holocaust.) A disguised relation is hyphen- literally, â€Å"under one,† because the mark was originally located beneath the words to be connected. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should Avoid8 Proofreading Tips And TechniquesAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt