How to Pronounce Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma Pronunciation
non-FUNK-shun-ing pih-TOO-ih-tair-ee ad-eh-NOH-mah
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
non
FUNK
stress here
shun
ing pih
TOO
stress here
ih
tair
ee ad
eh
NOH
stress here
mah
11 syllables
What is Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma?
A benign pituitary tumor that does not produce excess hormones but may cause problems by compressing surrounding structures including the optic chiasm (causing visual field defects) and the normal pituitary gland (causing hypopituitarism). It is often discovered incidentally on brain imaging.
Questions About Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma
How do you pronounce 'nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma'?
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Say it like this: non-FUNK-shun-ing pih-TOO-ih-tair-ee ad-eh-NOH-mah. The stress (or emphasis) falls on the second syllable of 'nonfunctioning' (FUNK) and on the last syllable of 'adenoma' (NOH). A good way to remember it is to stress the word 'FUNK' in the middle and 'NOH' at the end.
What does 'nonfunctioning' mean in this term?
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'Nonfunctioning' means the tumor does not make extra hormones. It comes from 'non-' (meaning 'not') and 'functioning' (meaning 'working'). So a nonfunctioning adenoma is a tumor that sits there but doesn't produce excess hormones like some other pituitary tumors do.
What does 'pituitary' mean?
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'Pituitary' refers to a small gland at the base of the brain that controls many hormones in the body. The word comes from Latin and originally meant something like 'to pitch' or 'to spit.' The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea and sits deep inside the skull.
What does 'adenoma' mean?
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'Adenoma' is a medical word that means a benign (non-cancer) tumor that grows in gland tissue. It breaks down into two parts: 'adeno-' (meaning 'gland') and '-oma' (meaning 'tumor'). So adenoma literally means 'gland tumor.'
How do you break this term into syllables?
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Here's how to divide it: non-FUNK-shun-ing | pih-TOO-ih-tair-ee | ad-eh-NOH-mah. The first part has four syllables, the middle part has four syllables, and the last part has three syllables, for a total of 11 syllables in the full term.
What's a common mistake people make when saying this word?
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Many people put the stress on the wrong syllable in 'adenoma'—they say ad-eh-noh-MAH instead of ad-eh-NOH-mah. Remember that the stress goes on the third syllable (NOH), not the last one. Also, people sometimes rush through 'pituitary' and say it too fast; take your time with each syllable: pih-TOO-ih-tair-ee.
Is there a shorter way to say or write this term?
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Doctors often use the abbreviation 'NFPA' for nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma, which you say letter by letter: N-F-P-A. You might also hear people just say 'nonfunctioning adenoma' or 'pituitary adenoma' in conversation, leaving out some of the detail.
What other medical words use the root '-oma' that means tumor?
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Many medical words end in '-oma' to mean tumors: melanoma (skin tumor), lymphoma (cancer in lymph cells), and carcinoma (cancer tumor). Understanding that '-oma' means 'tumor' can help you decode other medical terms you might hear.
How would you use this term in a simple sentence?
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You might hear someone say: 'The patient had a nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma found during a brain scan.' This tells you it's a benign tumor in the pituitary gland that doesn't produce extra hormones, and that it was discovered by accident on imaging.