Anorchism

/ænˈɔrkɪzəm/ noun

Definition

The state, condition, or disease characterized by the absence or failure of development of the testicles, also called anorchia.

Etymology

From Greek 'an-' (without) + 'orchis' (testicle) + '-ism' suffix (condition or doctrine), creating a noun for the pathological state itself.

Kelly Says

Adding '-ism' to medical terms transforms them from describing a state into describing a whole disease category—compare 'diabetic' (adjective) to 'diabetes' (noun) to 'diabetism' (the systematic condition)! This shows how medical nomenclature evolved to categorize human conditions.

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