How to Pronounce Poliosis
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Poliosis Pronunciation
poh-lee-OH-sis
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
poh
lee
OH
stress here
sis
4 syllables
What is Poliosis?
Localized whitening or depigmentation of hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows, caused by a reduction or absence of melanin in the hair follicles. It can be associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, sympathetic ophthalmia, or vitiligo.
Questions About Poliosis
How do you pronounce poliosis?
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Poliosis is pronounced poh-lee-OH-sis. The stress falls on the third syllable, which you say a bit louder and longer than the others. Think of it like saying "pole" + "lee" + "OH" + "sis" all together.
What is the stressed syllable in poliosis?
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The stressed syllable is OH, which is the third syllable in the word. A common mistake is putting the stress on the first syllable (POH-lee-oh-sis), but the correct way is to emphasize the OH in the middle (poh-lee-OH-sis).
How do you break poliosis into syllables?
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Poliosis breaks into four syllables: po-li-o-sis. When you say it slowly, each syllable gets its own short sound, but in normal speech the word flows together as poh-lee-OH-sis.
What does the word part 'polio-' mean in poliosis?
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The 'polio-' part comes from Greek and means 'gray' or 'gray-haired.' This root is also used in other medical words like poliomyelitis. The '-osis' ending means a condition or state, so poliosis literally means 'a condition of grayness.'
What is a plain English way to describe poliosis?
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Poliosis is the medical term for when hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes turn white or lose their color. In everyday language, you might just say someone's hair 'turned white' or 'lost its pigment,' but doctors use poliosis when they want to be specific.
What are some related medical words that use the same 'polio-' root?
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Poliomyelitis is another medical word that shares the 'polio-' root meaning gray. In that word, the gray refers to the gray matter of the spinal cord. Both words come from the same Greek word for gray.
What's a good way to use poliosis in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "The patient noticed poliosis affecting her eyelashes, which turned white over several months." This sentence shows how the word is used in a medical or clinical discussion.
Is there a short abbreviation for poliosis?
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There is no common abbreviation for poliosis. Medical professionals usually say or write out the full word when discussing this condition.

