cyst

¹

[sist]

noun

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

1. variant of cysto-, before a vowel.

   cystectomy.

-cyst

³

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

   statocyst.

-cyst

¹

combining form

1. indicating a bladder or sac

   otocyst

cyst

²

/ 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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyst¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyst¹

from Greek kustis bladder

Origin of cyst²

C18: from New Latin cystis, from Greek kustis pouch, bag, bladder

Example Sentences

The 26-year-old told the BBC she was informed it was just a cyst, but in three months the tumour had grown "into the size of a golf ball".

Read more on BBC

"I was initially quite blasé and assumed it would be a cyst or similar," she said.

Read more on BBC

The move was, she said, a Hail Mary attempt to get medical treatment through the state’s public benefits for a cyst sprouting behind her right eye that made her vision wobble and her head crackle with pain.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She is currently living on $1,206 a month in and out of her van with a failing shunt in her head, which doctors implanted to treat her cyst.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She said it was only when she started to trying for a baby and was unable to get pregnant that her endometriosis, which had caused a cyst on her ovary, was discovered.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• blister 
• sac 
• sore 

When To Use

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.

When To Use

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.