prosthesis

American  

[pros-thee-sis, pros-thuh-sis] / prɒsˈθi sɪs, ˈprɒs θə sɪs /

noun

• prostheses
  plural

1. a device, either external or implanted, that substitutes for or supplements a missing or defective part of the body.

2. Grammar, Prosody. the addition of one or more sounds or syllables to a word or line of verse, especially at the beginning.

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prosthesis British  

/ ˈprɒsθɪsɪs, prɒsˈθiːsɪs /

noun

1. surgery

   1. the replacement of a missing bodily part with an artificial substitute

   2. an artificial part such as a limb, eye, or tooth

2. linguistics another word for prothesis

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prosthesis Scientific  

/ prŏs-thē′sĭs /

• prostheses
  plural

1. An artificial device used to replace a missing or defective body part, such as a limb or a heart valve.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prosthetic
  adjective
• prosthetically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prostheses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prosthesis

1545–55; < Late Latin < Greek prósthesis a putting to, addition, equivalent to prós to + thésis a placing; see thesis

Explanation

In medicine, a prosthesis is an artificial body part meant to replace one that's missing. If you were born with only one arm, doctors might fit you with a prosthesis to fill in for your missing arm. When someone loses a body part because of illness or an accident (or if they're born without a limb or another body part), they sometimes have the option to get a prosthesis. Some prostheses are very simple duplicates of the absent part, while others are extremely complex devices. Some limb prostheses are even "robotic," allowing their users to move them as if they were real. In Greek, prosthesis means "addition."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prosthesis prostheses

Archival discoveries, including a long-forgotten 19th-century autobiography, are changing how historians understand Shadrack Byfield, an English veteran of the War of 1812 who buried his own amputated arm and later created a custom prosthesis.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

"It wasn't so easy to paint back then, but now everything is very different," says Cristian Juarez, a 29-year-old who works with a prosthesis after losing his right leg in an accident 11 years ago.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

He previously built a running prosthesis from cut-price components he found online and has now tested his second home-made limb in the sea.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

He later said he was fortunate to not have a prosthesis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

She cheerleads, watching with joy as they take their first steps with a prosthesis.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

The most recent work, Berenice Olmedo’s “Amalia,” a motorized sculpture of a leg made from medical prostheses, splints and braces, was created in 2021, a comment on difficulties faced by the disabled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

The centre was set up around 60 years ago by a Belgian Catholic association and has a workshop for producing prostheses, splints and braces.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

She described it as a "very unique case" because of the number of prostheses that had to be made without being able to copy any of the patient's fingers.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2025

The prostheses can also be given the ability to handle objects with the same dexterity as a human hand.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

She works for free, from dawn until late at night, seven days a week, to obtain money for food, units of blood, medicine, prostheses, and a scrap of land to build a permanent shelter.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario