On Wed, 17 Feb 1999, Richard Meister wrote: > > Hello, everyone: > > 2. How should one pronounce "apoptosis"? When I first heard the term > (probably 10 years ago), the second "p" was silent (A-pO-tO-sis). Since > then, I have increasingly heard the second "p" pronounced (A-pop-tO-sis). > And, I can't find the word in a dictionary. > > Thanks in advance, > Rick Meister > Let me jump in with my 2 cents' worth on the pronunciation issue, as this is something that I've wondered about. The word is a compound construction of "apo" (Greek for "away" or "from") and "ptosis" (Greek for "act of falling"). The latter is an English word meaning "the sagging or drooping of an organ" and is pronounced "TOE-sis", the p being silent. Therefore, I would suggest that the proper pronunciation is "a-po-TOE-sis", with the leading "a" carrying either a long or short vowel sound. Art Roberts Dept. of Medicine Robert Wood Johnson Medical School email: robertar@umdnj.edu phone: 732-235-7790 Fax: 732-235-7792
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