Syndrome

How to spell syndrome

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce syndrome

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does syndrome mean?

1. nounA group of signs, symptoms, or characteristics that consistently occur together and define a particular condition.

Syndrome in a sentence

• The doctor explained that the syndrome is managed rather than cured.

• Researchers identified a genetic marker linked to the syndrome.

Where does syndrome come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word comes from the Greek syndrome, meaning literally a 'running together', built from syn 'together, with' and the verb stem dramein 'to run'. In ancient medicine the idea was that several signs and symptoms 'ran together', appearing as a group, so a physician could recognise a recognisable pattern rather than a single isolated complaint. English borrowed the term in the seventeenth century directly from medical Latin, which had taken it from the Greek, and it kept its narrow clinical sense for a long time before broadening into everyday language for any set of features that tend to occur together. The same -drome root for 'running' surfaces in 'hippodrome' (a course for horses) and 'aerodrome' (a place where aircraft run along a strip). Because the spelling preserves the Greek root rather than English sound patterns, the silent-feeling 'y' and the final -drome are exactly what trip writers up.

How the word is built

• syn- (together)
• -drome (from dromos: running, course)