osteoporosis

/ˈɑstioʊpəˌroʊsəs/

/ɒsteəʊpəˈrʌʊsɪs/

Osteoporosis is a condition, most common in elderly women, of fragile, porous bones. Osteoporosis is the culprit behind many fractured bones and curved spines.

The word osteoporosis should have you running for a glass of milk. When you see the root osteo, you know that the word relates to “bone." The suffix osis tells you the word is probably a “condition.” The Greek root poro is pretty much the same as its English ancestor: it means “porous” or “passage.” So osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones are porous, or weak. Sufficient amounts of calcium can help prevent osteoporosis. Got milk?

Definitions of osteoporosis

1. noun

   abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium; most common in postmenopausal women
   types:

   dowager's hump

   abnormal spinal curvature that results when osteoporosis causes the spine to collapse; seen most often in elderly women

   type of:

   pathology

   any deviation from a healthy or normal condition