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A.Word.A.Day--trichology

This week's theme: words formed using combining forms.

Trichology (tri-KOL-uh-jee) noun

Whom would you look for when caught in a hairy situation? I don't know about you, but I'd sure want an expert in trichology: the study and treatment of hair and its disorders.

Now, what should we call one who is an expert in trichology: tricho-something? Why pull your hair out for a mere word? Let's just call him a headmaster. If you do often get an urge to pull your hair out, here is a word for the affliction: trichotillomania. It comes from a Greek root meaning father or mother of a teen.

Seriously, the Greeks were really the root cause of all this madness: tricho- (hair), -logy (science, study), tillein (to pull out), and -mania (madness).

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"Svenson [hair salon] claims, it is at the forefront of up-to-date trichology."
Susanna Tjokro; Pamper Yourself With Various Hair Treatments; The Jakarta Post (Indonesia); Jun 2, 2002.

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