Acro- Words: “acroagnosis” to “acromyotonia”
Part 1 of 2.
acro-, acr- (Greek: high, highest, highest point; top, tip end, outermost; extreme; extremity of the body).
 If you would like to take a self-scoring quiz over some of the words in this section, then click Acro-Quiz, or the button, so you can see how much you know about some of the following “acro-” words.
acroagnosis:
Lack of sensory recognition of a limb (arms and/or legs); also, acragnosis.
acroanesthesia:
Loss of sensation in the extremities; such as the hands and feet.
acroarthritis:
Arthritis affecting the extremities (hands or feet).
acroasphyxia:
1. An obsolete term for acrocyanosis.
2. Neurosis marked by asphyxia of the extremities. 3. Impaired digital circulation, possibly a mild form of Raynaud’s disease, marked by a purplish or waxy white color of the fingers, with subnormal local temperature and paresthesia. Also known as “dead fingers”, or “waxy fingers”.
acroataxia:
Ataxia affecting the distal portion of the extremities; such as, hands and fingers, feet, and toes. Ataxia is the inability to coordinate muscle activity during voluntary movement, so that smooth movements occur.
acrobat, acrobatic:
A performer on the trapeze, tightrope, etc.
acroblast:
A body in the spermatid from which arises the acrosome.
acrobrachycephaly:
A condition resulting from fusion of the coronal suture, causing abnormal shortening of the anteroposterior diameter of the skull.
acrobryous:
Growing only at the tip.
acrobystitis:
Inflammation of the prepuce (foreskin).
acrocarpous:
Bearing fruit at the end of the stalk, as some mosses.
acrocentric:
A type of chromosome having the centromere near one end of the replicating chromosome, so that one arm is much longer than the other.
acrocephalia, acrocephalic, acrocephalous, acrocephaly:
Denoting a head that is pointed and conelike; also known as, oxycephaly, oxycephalous.
acrocephalopolysyndactyly, acrocephalopolysyndactylism:
Any of four heritable malformation syndromes recognizable at birth and characterized by premature craniosynostosis, syndactyly, and polydactyly [also: acrocephalopolysyndactylia].
acrocinesia, acrocinesis, acrocinetic:
Excessive motility; abnormal freedom of movement; also acrokinesia, acrokinesis.
acrocontracture:
Contracture (static muscle shortening due to tonic spasm or fibrosis, or to loss of muscular balance) of the joints of the hands or feet.
acrocyanosis, acrocyanotic:
1. Circulatory disorder in which the hands, and less commonly the feet, are persistently cold and blue.
2. A condition marked by symmetrical cyanosis of the extremities, with persistent, uneven, mottled blue or red discoloration of the skin of the digits, wrists, and ankles and with profuse sweating and coldness of the digits.
acrodendrophile, acrodendrophilous, acrodendrophily:
Thriving in tree-top habitats.
acrodermatitis:
Inflammation involving the skin of the extremities, especially the hands and feet.
acrodermatosis [singular]; acrodermatoses [plural]: 1. Any disease involving the skin of the extremities.
2. Any cutaneous affection involving the more distal portions of the extremities.
acrodolichomelia:
Abnormal or disproportionate length of hands and feet as a result of disproportionate or continued growth beyond the usual time of physical maturation.
acrodont:
1. Having the teeth attached to the upper surface of the jaw rather than encased in a socket, a condition seen in many lizards and fish.
2. The teeth of some reptiles that have no roots and are joined to the jawbone.
acrodrome:
Leaf with veins converging at its point.
acrodynia:
1. Disease of infancy and early childhood characterized by pain and swelling in, and pink coloration of, the fingers and toes.
2. A syndrome caused almost exclusively by mercury poisoning in children and gastrointestinal symptoms, in adults, by anorexia, photophobia, sweating, and tachycardia.
acrodysesthesia:
1. Abnormal sensations on the skin of the legs and arms; such as a feeling of numbness, tingling, prickling, or a burning or cutting pain.
2. Abnormal and unpleasant sensations in the peipheral portions of the extremities.
acrodysostosis:
A disorder in which the hands and feet are short with stubby fingers and toes.
acroedema:
Edema (an accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities) of hand or foot, often permanent.
acroesthesia:
1. Increased sensitiveness.
2. Pain in the extremities or “hyperesthesia” of one or more of the extremities.
acrogen, acrogenic, acrogenous:
A plant, such as a fern or moss, having a perennial stem with the growing point at the tip.
acrogeria:
1. Premature aging of the skin on the extremities (hands and feet) accompanied by wrinkling.
2. Congenital reduction or loss of subcutaneous fat and collagen of the hands and feet, giving the appearance of senility.
acrognosis, acrognosia:
Sensory recognition of the limbs and of the different parts of each limb in relation to each other; normal sensory perception of the extremities.
acrogram:
1. The use of all of the letters from a word to form the first letter of each of the words that may be formed from the letters of the first word; for example, using the word “dare” to form four words beginning with “d”, “a”, “r”, and “e”.
2. Using the letters of a word as a basis for forming lines of poetry or lines in a song, etc. by referring to each of the letters of the base word.
acrography:
1. The art of making blocks in relief, as a substitute for wood-engraving.
2. A process of making chalk tracery in relief on metal or stone, to obtain from it an electrotype or stereotype.
acrohyperhidrosis:
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) of the hands and feet.
acrohypothermy, acrohypothermia:
Abnormal coldness of the hands and feet. This is often seen in patients with schizophrenia in whom it is commonly associated with acrocyanosis.
acrokeratosis:
Overgrowth of the horny layer of the skin, usually nodular configurations, of the dorsum of the fingers and toes, and occasionally on the rim of the ear and tip of the nose.
acrokinesia:
Excessive motility; an abnormal freedom of movement; also acrocinesis.
acrolect:
1. The language variety among a group of related varieties that is closest to the standard form of the language.
2. The most prestigious or “highest” social dialect of any language.
acroleukopathy:
A hereditary disorder of pigmentation characterized by white patches on the extremities; depigmentation of the extremities.
acrolith, acrolithic:
In early Greek sculpture, a statue with a stone head, hands, and feet, and a wooden trunk.
acrology, acrological, acrologic:
1. Pertaining to, or founded on, initials.
2. In the development of alphabetic writing, a principle involving the use of initial sounds or signs in accordance with which letters have been evolved, named, and used.
acromacria:
Abnormal length of the fingers. Also arachnodactyly.
acromania:
1. An obsolete term for chronic incurable insanity.
2. Any type of insanity in which agitation and motor excitement are prominent.
acromastitis:
Inflammation of the nipple or nipples.
acromegalogigantism:
Gigantism and acromegaly due to hypersecretion of the pituitary growth hormone beginning before puberty and continuing into maturity.
acromegaloidism:
A bodily condition resembling acromegaly but not due to pituitary disorder.
acromegaly, acromegalic:
A chronic disease of adults caused by hypersecretion of the pituitary growth hormones and characterized by enlargement of many parts of the skeleton, especially the distal portions; such as, the nose, ears, jaws, fingers, and toes.
acromelalgia:
A condition affecting the extremities, especially the feet, marked by burning and throbbing sensations that come and go. Also erythromelalgia.
acromelic:
Pertaining to or affecting the end of a limb, or limbs (arms or legs).
acrometagenesis:
Undue, or abnormal, growth of the extremities (hands or feet) resulting in deformity.
acromicria:
A condition in which the extremities of the skeleton are small and delicate (hypoplasia) including the nose, jaws, fingers, and toes.
acromioclavicular:
A reference to the acromion and clavicle.
acromiohumeral:
A reference to the acromion and humerus.
acromion, acromial:
The lateral extension of the spine of the scapula, projecting over the shoulder joint and forming the highest point of the shoulder.
acromionectomy:
The resection of the distal end of the acromion.
acromioplasty:
The surgical removal of the distal inferior acromion process of the scapula to relieve impingement of soft tissues in the subacromial space.
acromphalus:
Prominence of the navel, as may be seen in umbilical hernia.
acromycosis:
A fungal infection of the limbs.
acromyotonia, acromyotonus:
Contracture of the hand or foot resulting in spastic deformity.
 You may take a self-scoring quiz over some of the words in this section by just clicking on Acro- Quiz #1 to check your word knowledge.
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