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pros·the·sis

(prŏs-thēsĭs)

n. pl. pros·the·ses (-sēz)

1. An artificial device used to replace a missing body part, such as a limb, tooth, eye, or heart valve.

2. Replacement of a missing body part with such a device.

3. Linguistics Prothesis.

[Greek, addition, from prostithenai, prosthe-, to add : pros-, pros- + tithenai, to put; see dhē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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prosthesis

athlete wearing a prosthetic leg used for running

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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