骨髓炎 (gǔ suǐ yán) — osteomyelitis (bone infection)

Definition

A medical term for osteomyelitis — a serious infection of the bone and its marrow. 骨髓 means 'bone marrow'; 炎 means 'inflammation/infection'.

noun
osteomyelitis (bone infection)

Examples

  • 骨髓炎，。
    Yī shēng shuō tā dé le gǔ suǐ yán, xū yào zhù yuàn zhì liáo.
    The doctor said he has osteomyelitis and needs to be hospitalized for treatment.
  • 骨髓炎。
    gǔ suǐ yán Shì yì zhǒng yán zhòng de gǔ gé gǎn rǎn.
    Osteomyelitis is a serious bone infection.
  • 骨髓炎。
    Kàng shēng sù kě yǐ zhì liáo zǎo qī gǔ suǐ yán.
    Antibiotics can treat early-stage osteomyelitis.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

骨髓bone marrow
骨gǔbone髓suǐmarrow
偏正Modifier + head
炎yáninflammation

骨髓炎 is 炎, inflammation, of 骨髓, bone marrow.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
冎
冎guǎ骨gǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.

Open 骨 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 髓 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

炎 places two 火 (fire) shapes vertically, one above the other, to show fire doubled.

Open 炎 →

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