[On the etymology and the semantics of the medical term: Istiska'].

Abstract

This article deals with the etymology and semantics of the term istiska' which was interpreted as cirrhosis in some studies. The meaning of the term in the old medical texts and dictionaries was studied by quoting examples from original sources. It is concluded that istiska was used for dropsy, that is, an abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in tissue or in a cavity of a body, such as the abdomen, pleura, thorax, peritoneum etc.; and in the 19th and 20th centuries it meant hydrax and, was used as the prefix hydr- or hydro-. The text also describes the various forms of istiska' found in the Turkish terminology.