syn-, sy-, sym-, syl-, sys-

A pattern of language in which words and phrases are juxtaposed without grammatical linkage as seen in schizophrenic and other mental disorders: The asyndesis of the readings that Charlene presented to the doctor was a language that seemed to be disjointed and disconnected.

One of Dr. Smith's patients was asked what caused the wind to blow, and Marge said that the wind was a result of velocity, the loss of air, evaporations of water, contact with trees, and of air in the trees; all of which indicated a case of asyndesis.

A reference to or characterized by the omission of conjunctions in sentence constructions in which they would normally be used: Harry's mother prepared him for life with honesty, with a good education, with self-respect; which illustrates an asyndetic element by leaving out "and with self-respect".

Not + fastened or bound together: A rhetorical figure that gains brevity and force through the omission of connective words. In Julius Caesar's statement, Veni, vidi, vici ("I came, I saw, I conquered"), the conjunction et or "and" has been omitted before vici.

Absence of continuity of a structure: The asynechia of the body part and tissues of the wounded soldier's abdominal area presented medical problems that were almost impossible for the army medics to solve.

Lack of coordination among various muscle groups during the performance of complex movements, resulting in a loss of skill and speed: During the swimming match, Karen's friend experienced a moment of asynergy which caused her to lose speed and resulted in her not being able to perform at her best.

Mental dullness; ignorance, or a lack of practical understanding and comprehension: Blanche's state of asynesia makes it difficult for her to understand simple and practical instructions.

A situation characterized by a lack of typical or orderly embryonic development: The research project at the veterinarian school was directed at understanding the asyntaxia of specific bovines including cows and bulls.

The absence of any heartbeat because of a failure of the ventricles of the heart to contract; usually caused by ventricular fibrillation, with a consequent absence of the heart beat leading to a lack of oxygen and eventually to death.

A reference to a cardiac standstill or the absence of a heartbeat: A dire form of cardiac arrest in which the heart stops beating, no systole, and there is no electrical activity in the heart.

A hearing sensation that occurs when another sense is stimulated: When LuAnn felt vibrations in her fingertips, she also experienced auditory synesthesia, sensing the sound that the vibrations might have made.

A permanent peripheral arterial dilatation resulting from the destruction of sympathetic nerve functions by an endogenous process: Autosympathectomy is the neuropathy that accompanies diabetes mellitus.

1. Self-preoccupation to such a degree that no attention is paid to the outside world.
2. Autism.

Self-reproduction; self-replication.

A collector of brothel tickets: Jim's uncle was known to be a bawsymbephilist who had a very strange hobby of accumulating brother tickets.

1. Formation of a chemical compound by enzymes, either in the organism (in vivo) or by fragments or extracts of cells (in vitro).
2. The production of organic compounds by living organisms.
3. Chemical reactions in which a living cell builds up its necessary molecules from other molecules which are present.