Ascitan

/æˈsaɪtən/ noun

Definition

A person who has ascites, a medical condition where fluid abnormally accumulates in the abdomen.

Etymology

From ascites (Greek askites, from askos meaning 'wineskin'), plus the agent suffix -an. The condition was named after the wineskin-like distension of the belly.

Kelly Says

Medieval doctors thought ascites patients had swollen bellies because their abdomens filled like wineskins with wine—that visual metaphor from Greek literally named the disease after a drinking vessel!

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