-megaly

American  

1. a combining form meaning “irregular enlargement” of the organ of the body specified by the initial element.

   cardiomegaly.

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Usage

What does -megaly mean? The combining form -megaly is used like a suffix meaning “irregular enlargement” of an organ or part of the body. It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.The form -megaly ultimately comes from the Greek mégas, meaning “great, large.”What are variants of -megaly?The combining form -megalia, as in cardiomegalia, is a rare variant of -megaly. Corresponding forms of -megaly combined to the beginning of words is megalo- and megal-. Learn more at our Words That Use articles for the forms.A variant of megalo- that you may be familiar with is mega-, as in megaphone or megabyte. Mega- is also used as a unit of measure prefix to indicate a fact of one million (e.g. megahertz).

Etymology

Origin of -megaly

< New Latin -megalia. See megalo-, -y ³