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• 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.

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cyst- ² American  

1. variant of cysto-, before a vowel.

   cystectomy.

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-cyst ³ American  

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

   statocyst.

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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

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-cyst ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a bladder or sac

   otocyst

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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.

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cyst Cultural  

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of cyst

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

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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

Meredydd Jones is still living with a cyst on his liver.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

During one set of experiments, researchers tested compounds that they expected would worsen the disease by increasing cellular activity linked to cyst growth.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

Ueda is anticipated to remain in hospital for treatment of an infected liver cyst for about two weeks but will continue to perform his duties remotely as needed, the BOJ said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

And all the while he must keep his hatred locked up inside him like a ball of matter which was part of himself and yet unconnected with the rest of him, a kind of cyst.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Breakouts can look like milder, painless white bumps or dark specks known as whiteheads and blackheads, or more painful red bumps and deeper cysts — a mark of cystic acne.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Jones was in hospital for 10 days, and says the doctors there suspected he had hydatid cysts immediately.

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

However, dogs exposed to parasite eggs can develop the same cancer-like cysts seen in other infected animals.

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

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Related Words

• blister
• sac
• sore

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