Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition characterized by excessive sweating, typically in areas such as the palms, feet, and underarms. It is not due to heat or exercise alone and can significantly affect daily activities and comfort. The term combines Greek roots for “over” and “sweat” with a condition suffix, reflecting its clinical usage.
"She sought treatment options for hyperhidrosis to manage sweat episodes that disrupted work meetings."
"The dermatologist discussed hyperhidrosis as a chronic condition that may respond to topical or systemic therapies."
"He was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis affecting his hands, making writing and gripping objects challenging."
"Advances in research are improving how hyperhidrosis is understood and treated in both adults and adolescents."
Hyperhidrosis derives from the Greek roots hyper- (over, above), hidros (sweat), and -osis (a medical condition or process). The prefix hyper- signals excess; hidros is the ancient term for sweat, appearing in several clinical terms related to perspiration. The combining form hidros appears in medical vocabulary across Latinized Greek terms, with early usage emerging in post-classical medical texts to denote abnormal sweating. The -osis suffix entered medical Latin to describe medical conditions and pathologies; in hyperhidrosis it marks a chronic condition of sweating beyond normal levels. The term became more standardized in modern dermatology and endocrine literature as clinicians sought a precise descriptor for a condition that affects quality of life. First known uses appeared in mid-19th to early-20th century medical writings as record-keeping and diagnostic language evolved; today, hyperhidrosis is widely used in clinical discourse, patient resources, and research, including classification by primary (idiopathic) vs. secondary causes and treatment modalities. Overall, the word’s evolution reflects a shift from observational descriptions to formalized disease nomenclature within dermatology and internal medicine.
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Words that rhyme with "Hyperhidrosis"
-sis sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Say hi-per-hi-DRO-sis with primary stress on the DRO syllable: /ˌhaɪ.pər.haɪˈdroʊ.sɪs/ (US) or /ˌhaɪ.pər.hɪˈdrəʊ.sɪs/ (UK). Break it into hi-per-hi-dro-sis, keeping the -dro- as a clear, mid-back rounded vowel and the -sis as a crisp unvoiced syllable. If you’re unsure, practice by saying each segment slowly then blend. You’ll hear the rhythm settle into a three-beat, then two-beat tail as you move to natural speech.
Common errors include treating it as one smooth block rather than four syllables, misplacing the primary stress on the wrong syllable, and mispronouncing -dro- as a weak vowel. Correct by stressing the third syllable (droi- in some dialects) and making -dro- a clear mid-back vowel /droʊ/ (US) or /drəʊ/ (UK). Practice with slow cycling of hi-per-hi-dro-sis and use a mirror for mouth position cues.
In US, stress on the third syllable with /ˌhaɪ.pər.haɪˈdroʊ.sɪs/ and a clear /droʊ/. UK shifts vowel in the -dr- syllable and may reduce the diphthong slightly to /ˌhaɪ.pə(h)-ˈdrəʊ.sɪs/ with a shorter first vowel; AU follows US rhotacized tendencies but may soften /drəʊ/ to /drəʊ/ with a slightly less pronounced final -s. Overall, maintain the multi-syllabic segmentation while adjusting vowel quality.
Two main challenges: the long multi-syllable structure makes accurate segmentation essential, and the -hydro- portion often trips speakers who expect a simple ‘hydro’ pattern. Focus on four distinct syllables hi-per-hi-dro-sis, with a crisp -dro- containing a mid back vowel and a clear -sis ending. Practicing with minimal pairs that emphasize the stressed syllable helps solidify the rhythm.
There is a tendency to stress the wrong segment when speaking quickly, sometimes distributing emphasis too evenly across all syllables. To counter this, deliberately place primary stress on the -dro- syllable, then normalize speed. Visualize the word in four beats: hi-per-hi-DRO-sis. Use IPA cues: /ˌhaɪ.pər.haɪˈdroʊ.sɪs/ (US) /ˌhaɪ.pər.hɪˈdrəʊ.sɪs/ (UK).
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