caco-, cac-, kako-, kak-

A preservative against evil; a safeguard against bad: The hunter wore an alexikakon around his neck as a talisman to protect him from wild animal attacks.

An instrument used to measure the quality of bad air or pollutions: The meteorologist used a cacaerometer to determine the condition or status of the air so he could provide an accurate weather report.

Abnormal dysfunctional sensations on the skin, such as a feeling of numbness, tingling, a burning, or a cutting pain; heightened sensitivity: When Fred had an episode of shingles, he really felt a lot of cacaesthesia because his skin was very sensitive and painful.

Defective mental or physical functions of the reactions of an individual in contrast to the normal activities of the human body: Preceding his death, Mr. Alyson's son experienced cacergasia when all of his internal organs started to shut down and not operate in a normal way any more.

Relating to or descriptive of a generally unhealthy condition: During most of her life, Madeline experienced a cachectic existence because she has been suffering from a variety of illnesses.

1. A state of ill health, malnutrition, and wasting away: Cachexia may occur in many chronic diseases, certain malignancies, and advanced pulmonary tuberculosis or cancer.
2. A general weight loss, feebleness, inactivity, and emaciation: Jerome has cachexia which is associated with his severe chronic disease and emotional disturbances. © ALL rights are reserved.

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Sweat that is fetid, foul smelling, and offensive as a result of bacterial decomposition which occurs mostly on the feet, in the groin, and under the arms: Despite washing his feet regularly and using a special foot powder, Huck continued to have cacidrosis and was afraid to take off his shoes in the presence of other people because his feet had a terrible odor.

A reference to difficult digestion caused by the formation of a milky substance in the small intestines: The pain that Jeremy was experiencing in his abdomen appeared to be a form of cacochylous, an ailment which the doctor was attempting to treat.

An evil spirit or a devil: Jim's teenage daughter, Maxine, woke up crying after having a particularly scary dream about cacodemons, apparently because of the horror movie she had been watching on TV that evening.

Someone who is controlled by an evil spirit: It was only a few hundred years ago when cacodemoniacs; especially, women were burned at the stake by those who thought they were malicious demons.

An abnormal mental condition in which the patient claims to be possessed by an evil spirit or demon: The psychiatrist was trying to cure Ashton of his cacodemonomania before he became too delusional and might kill himself.

Relating to badly positioned teeth: Andre's sister had cacodental problems for years until the dentist pulled them out and gave her new removable dentures.

Bad skin or a condition in which one has a pimply or abnormally rough skin: Lucia was very upset that during the winter she always gets cacodermia and her skin becomes very rough and patchy with pimples or lumps which are itchy and feel as if they are burning.

Having bad or malformed teeth: Buster wore orthodontic braces for several years to correct his cacodontia in both his upper and lower jaws.

Pertaining to something or someone who has a bad odor: No one wanted Dermot on the track and field team because of his cacodorous feet which made the dressing room stink when he took his shoes off.