dys-

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a combining form meaning “ill,” “bad,” used in the formation of compound words: dysfunction.

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Origin of dys-

<Greek; cognate with Old Norse tor-,German zer-,Sanskrit dus-

Words nearby dys-

dynode, Dyophysite, Dyophysitism, dyostyle, Dyothelite, dys-, dysacousia, dysadaptation, dysanagnosia, dysaphia, dysarthria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dys- in a sentence

Mother died of dys—what do you call it—in the hot weather, and Father and two of the young ones have just got back.
Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy
Ho someuer desyreth to be a good Oratour or to dys- pute and commune of any maner thynge / hym beho- ueth to haue foure thinges.
The Art or Crafte of Rhetoryke|Leonard Cox
After a few uncertain "J-u-u-dys," he trudged on again in silence.
A Son of the City|Herman Gastrell Seely

British Dictionary definitions for dys-

dys-

prefix

diseased, abnormal, or faultydysentery; dyslexia

difficult or painfuldysuria

unfavourable or baddyslogistic

Word Origin for dys-

via Latin from Greek dus-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012