dysmorphology

Term: dysmorphology

The blinding of the single-eyed Cyclops Polyphemus by Ulysses (Proto-Attic Amphora : 670-660 BC). Archaelogical Museum of Eleusis. 

Literally meaning: “about bad or ugly shape, study of malformations”

Origin: Anc Greek

δυσ-/dys-(=prefix used with a negative sense meaning difficult, bad, abnormal, misfortune) > δύω/dyo(=decline) δύση/dysi(=sundown)

+μορφή/morphi(=form, shape) >  μορφάω/morphao(=represent, appear)>

Μορφέας/Morpheus(=the god of dreams who was appeared in dreams in many forms)
+(-λογία)/-logia(=logy, suffix meaning “study of”, “speech”, “discourse”) > λέω/leo (=speak).

Coined/History

In 1966 by American pediatrician and clinical geneticist Dr David W. Smith (1926-1981) in order to describe the study of human congenital defects concerning body structure.

Definition

Study of congenital defects that alter body shape or body parts of a newborn child as a result of an abnormal ontogenesis during embryogenesis . Dysmorphologe is a branch of Clinical genetics