Jump To:

• cyst
  cyst

  noun

  a closed, bladderlike sac formed in animal tissues, containing fluid or semifluid matter.
• cyst-
  cyst-

  variant of cysto-, before a vowel.
• -cyst
  -cyst

  variant of cysto-, as final element in a compound word.

cyst

¹ American  

[sist] / sɪst /

noun

• cysts
  plural

1. Pathology. a closed, bladderlike sac formed in animal tissues, containing fluid or semifluid matter.

2. a bladder, sac, or vesicle.

3. Botany, Mycology.

   1. a sporelike cell with a resistant, protective wall.

   2. a cell or cavity enclosing reproductive bodies.

4. Zoology.

   1. a sac, usually spherical, surrounding an animal that has passed into a dormant condition.

   2. such a sac plus the contained animal.

   3. a capsule or resistant covering.

---

cyst- ² American  

1. variant of cysto-, before a vowel.

   cystectomy.

---

-cyst ³ American  

1. variant of cysto-, as final element in a compound word.

   statocyst.

---

cyst ¹ British  

/ sɪst /

noun

1. pathol any abnormal membranous sac or blisterlike pouch containing fluid or semisolid material

2. anatomy any normal sac or vesicle in the body

3. a thick-walled protective membrane enclosing a cell, larva, or organism

---

-cyst ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a bladder or sac

   otocyst

---

cyst Scientific  

/ sĭst /

1. An abnormal membranous sac in the body, containing a gaseous, liquid, or semisolid substance.

2. A small, capsulelike form of certain organisms that develops in response to adverse or extreme conditions. Under adverse conditions, for instance, dinoflagellates form nonmotile resting cysts that fall to the ocean or lake bottom and can remain there for years before reviving. Certain invertebrates, such as the water bear (phylum Tardigrada), also develop cysts.

---

cyst Cultural  

1. An abnormal saclike structure that develops in the body and is filled with fluid or semisolid material.

---

Usage

What does cyst- mean? The combining form cyst- is a combining form used like a suffix meaning “cyst,” which is a scientific term for a bladder, sac, or vesicle. It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology and pathology. The form cyst- comes from Greek kýstis, meaning “bag,” “pouch,” or “bladder.”What are variants of cyst-?The form cyst- is a variant of cysto-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. A rare variant of cysto- is cysti-, as in cystiform. When used as a suffix, the combining form cyst- becomes -cyst, as in oocyst. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms.

What does -cyst mean? The combining form -cyst is used like a suffix meaning “cyst,” which is a scientific term for a bladder, sac, or vesicle. It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology. The form -cyst comes from Greek kýstis, meaning “bag,” “pouch,” or “bladder.”What are variants of -cyst?When used as a prefix, the combining form -cyst variously becomes cyst-, cysti-, or cysto- (as in cystoma). Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cysts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cyst

First recorded in 1705–15; from New Latin cystis, from Greek kýstis “bag, pouch, bladder”; akin to kŷma cyma

Explanation

A cyst is a small growth that forms in the body. That squishy, fluid-filled mass on your calf could be a cyst. The word cyst entered English in the 18th century by way of the Latin word cystis, tracing all the way back to the Greek word kustis, meaning “bladder.” Like your bladder, a cyst is sort of like a small pouch, one that’s typically filled with liquid. Unlike the bladder, however, a cyst is closed, meaning the liquid can’t get out. A cyst is often an abnormal formation in the body, so doctors often remove them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cyst cysts

When she was five months pregnant, ultrasound examinations revealed that the fetus had a cleft palate, a brain cyst, and heart defects.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"I swapped two cysts for two scars on the ribs," he said, adding that he still has a cyst on his liver, which surgeons decided not to remove.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

The drug works by blocking vasopressin, which helps reduce cyst growth.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

Ueda is expected to remain in the hospital for about two weeks while receiving treatment for an infected liver cyst, the central bank said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

I had to have an egg-size cyst removed from my back, which was a relief because Will had started calling me “Humpback.”

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

A farmer living with slow-growing cysts caused by a tapeworm says he had no idea anything was wrong - until the worst pain of his life.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

The medications that cause ovarian suppression and have effectively relieved menstrual pain and helped millions of women to manage endometriosis, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and ovarian cysts?

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

"In this case, finding a few cysts of cyclospora in a lettuce sample is literally like looking for a needle in a haystack," he continued.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

When E. multilocularis infects a person or animal, it can produce cancer-like cysts in the liver and, in some cases, other organs.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

The head nurse at Hanawon for the past decade, Chun Jung-hee, told me that a high percentage of women from the North have chronic gynecological infections and cysts.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Related Words

• blister
• sac
• sore