# Medical terminology: Why are anatomical terms Latin, but names of diseases Greek?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 2, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154 "2006-06-02T16:32:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154/1 "2006-06-02T16:32:53Z")

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I once had a job involving writing summaries of medical records, and from frequent consultation of a dictionary of medical terms I noticed something about the terminology: Most anatomical terms are Latin: aorta, tibia, femur. But the names of most diseases, and treatments and procedures, are Greek: phlebitis, phlebotomy. Why is that?

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**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154/2 "2006-06-02T16:42:39Z")

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Hmmm.  
I think you might be seeing the ones that support your premise. There are medicalese terms that go both ways, so to speak.

Lipid (fat) [From Greek lipos, fat]  
Adipo (fat) [from Latin adeps, adip-, fat.]

A tumor comprised of fat cells is a lipoma. In removing a lipoma, neoplastic adipose tissue is removed.

Interesting OP, hope someone has a definitive answer.

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**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154/3 "2006-06-02T16:47:24Z")

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Of course, you can swing back to the Greek for inflammation of fat: steatitis. And there is always steatorrhea (excess fat in stool).

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154/4 "2006-06-02T20:01:06Z")

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[QUOTE=vetbridge]  
I think you might be seeing the ones that support your premise.  
[/QUOTE]

Well, I said **mostly.** Open any page of _Gray’s Anatomy._ Latin, Latin, Latin. [File:Gray219.png - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gray219.png)

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-terminology-why-are-anatomical-terms-latin-but-names-of-diseases-greek/359154/5 "2006-06-03T16:29:34Z")

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Nobody knows?