A medical condition or pathological state affecting the cartilage above or on the surface of bone, or relating to the superficial cartilage layer.
From Greek epi- (upon, over) + chondros (cartilage) + -osis (condition, disease). The term literally means a condition of surface cartilage.
Ancient medical terminology tried to classify disease by location—if it was on the surface, they added 'epi-', but if it was deep inside, they used 'endo-'. This naming system still helps doctors today understand where exactly something is wrong.
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