Doctors use "alopecia" to refer to various forms of hair loss, including "alopecia areata," a sudden loss of hair in patches that involves little or no inflammation. It may surprise you to learn that the word ultimately derives from "alōpēx," the Greek word for "fox," but the connection makes sense if you think of a fox who is afflicted with mange, a disease with symptoms that include, among other things, loss of hair. Middle English speakers borrowed the Latin word alopecia, which comes from "alōpekia," a Greek term that can be translated as "mange on foxes."
Examples of alopecia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebVet medicine has progressed dramatically in the past decade; there are now options for dogs and cats with cancer, heart conditions, or even alopecia.—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 13 May 2024 One of the strongest pieces of supporting evidence is a clinical trial published in 2015, in which researchers explored the effects of rosemary oil on 100 men experiencing androgenetic alopecia, the leading cause of hair loss in men and women.—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 May 2024 Research shows that people with androgenetic alopecia, for example, might have better luck with topical solutions like minoxidil compared to folks whose shedding is triggered by an autoimmune disorder or another underlying condition.—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 May 2024 The clinic treats patients with alopecia areata using a novel technique that has shown impressive results.—Chiara Accardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024 Sharma is one of at least 80 million people across the United States who suffer from hair loss due to various medical conditions such as alopecia areata, lupus and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment.—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 The result has been an increase in side effects from Jasmine’s alopecia.—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024 The line about the autoimmune disorder was, in fact, inspired by the infamous Oscars slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock, after Rock insulted Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia.—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Reinhart did not say whether her alopecia was directly caused by her mental health issue, but the two are sometimes related.—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alopecia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English allopicia, allopucia "hair loss," borrowed from Medieval Latin allōpicia, allōpitia "baldness, mange," going back to Latin alōpecia "bald patch on the head (from a skin disease)," borrowed from Greek alōpekía "bald spot" (Aristotle), "disease causing hair loss" (Galen), original sense perhaps "sarcoptic mange (affecting foxes and other canids)," from alōpek-, alṓpēx "fox" + -ia-ia entry 1; alṓpēx probably going back to dialectal Indo-European *h2lōpeḱ-/*h2lōpēḱ- "small canid, fox" (whence, besides Greek, Armenian ałuēs "fox") and *h2leupēḱ- or *h2loupēḱ- (whence Sanskrit lopāśáḥ "small canid [as a jackal or fox]," Middle Persian rōpās, rōpāh "fox," Khotanese rrūvāsa- "jackal," Ossetic (Iron dialect) rubas, ruvas "fox")
Note:
An initial element *(h2)lop-, close to the Greek, Armenian, and Indo-Iranian forms but with a short o, is apparently reflected in Celtic *lop-erno-, whence Old Welsh leuyrn, leuirn "foxes" (from *lou̯ern-ī with vowel affection; cf. Modern Welsh llewyrn, tân llewyrn "foxfire"), Breton louarn "fox," and Lithuanian lãpė "fox," Latvian lapsa. The long o in alṓpēx could perhaps be taken as a reflection of an original nominative *h2lōp-s, but the diphthong in the Indo-Iranian etymon remains unexplained. The element *(h2)lop- has been compared with *u̯l̥p- "small carnivore" proposed as the source of Latin vulpēs, volpēs "fox" (see vulpine), Lithuanian vilpišỹs "wildcat" and other words, but no unifying etymon can be readily reconstructed. If related, the set of "fox" forms are perhaps traces of a non-Indo-European Wanderwort acquired by Indo-European branches at different times and places.
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