A medical condition characterized by the abnormal narrowing of a body passage or opening. Most commonly refers to the narrowing of blood vessels, heart valves, or the spinal canal.
From Greek 'stenosis' meaning a narrowing, derived from 'stenos' meaning narrow or close. The term entered medical vocabulary in the 19th century as diagnostic techniques improved. It's related to 'stenography' (shorthand writing) through the shared Greek root referring to compression or narrowing.
Stenosis represents one of the body's most problematic healing responses—scar tissue formation that goes too far and actually impedes function rather than restoring it. The word's connection to stenography is particularly apt, as both involve making spaces smaller to achieve efficiency, though in medicine this 'efficiency' becomes pathological.
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