prothesis

noun

proth·​e·​sis ˈprä-thə-səs How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
plural protheses ˈprä-thə-ˌsēz How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
: the addition of a sound to the beginning of a word (as in Old French estat—whence English estate—from Latin status)
prothetic
prä-ˈthe-tik How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
adjective

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, alteration of prosthesis, from Greek, literally, addition — more at prosthesis

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prothesis was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near prothesis

protheca

prothesis

prothetelic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Prothesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prothesis. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

prothesis

noun
proth·​e·​sis ˈpräth-ə-səs How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
plural protheses -ˌsēz How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
: prosthesis
prothetic
prä-ˈthet-ik How to pronounce prothesis (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on prothesis

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prothesis

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...