acro-, acr-

(Greek: high, highest, highest point; top, tip end, outermost; extreme; extremity of the body)

acrography (s) (noun), acrographies (pl)
The art of making blocks in relief: Acrography, a substitute for engravings on wood, is a process of making chalk tracery in relief on metal or stone to obtain from it an electrotype or stereotype.
acrogynous (adjective) (not comparable)
In certain plants, a reference to bearing female organs at the tip end of the stem: An ancrogynous plant produces a multicellular reproductive formation at its apex which incorporates a large, immobile gamete and in which an embryo can develop.
acrohyperhidrosis (s) (noun) (no pl)
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) of the hands and feet: The young man, Mr. Simmons, suffered from an immoderate amount of perspiration on his digital extremities, so he asked his doctor who told him that it was a condition of acrohyperhidrosis.
acrohypothermia (s) (noun), acrohypothermias (pl)
Abnormal coldness of the hands and feet: Acrohypothermia is often a condition in which patients with schizophrenia are commonly associated with "acrocyanosis", which is a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes when a spasm of the blood vessels is caused by exposure to cold or because of strong emotion.
acrohypothermy (s) (noun), acrohypothermies (pl)
An abnormal coldness of the extremities of the body: The elderly Mrs. Roberts often complained that her fingers, hands, toes, and feet were so chilly, so when she asked her doctor about it, he said that she had a case of acrohypothermy.
acrokeratosis (s) (noun), acrokeratoses (pl)
Overgrowth of the horny layer of the skin, usually in nodular configurations: Acrokeratosis is an ailment which affects the dorsum of the fingers and toes, and occasionally appears on the rim of the ear and tip of the nose.
acrokinesia (s) (noun) (no pl)
Excessive motility; an abnormal freedom of movement; acrocinesis: Timmy's teacher, Mrs. Smart, mentioned to his parents that Jimmy couldn't sit still at all because he was always moving his extremities and thus disturbing his peers in class. After seeing their doctor, he said that Timmy had a case of acrokinesia.
acrolect (s) (noun), acrolects (pl)
A language variety, one of a group of related varieties, that is closest to the standard form of the language: Martin's mother told him to speak acrolect when visiting their grandparents and not use the "teenage" language that he used with his friends.

The most prestigious or “highest” social dialect of any language is termed to be an acrolect.

acroleukopathy (s) (noun), acroleukopathies (pl)
A hereditary disorder of white patches or lack of typical skin pigmentation on the extremities (fingers, toes, etc.: From childhood on, Helen was quite self-conscious of the acroleukopathy on her arms so she always wore long sleeves to cover them so people wouldn't stare at her.
acrolith (s) (noun), acroliths (pl)
In early Greek sculpture, a statue with a stone head, hands, and feet, and a wooden trunk: The acrolith that Susan saw in the museum had clothes on some wooden parts, while the other exposed sections, like the head and feet, were made of marble.
acrolithic (adjective), more acrolithic, most acrolithic
Descriptive of a structure or of an ancient Greek sculpture: In the center of the room in the museum, Sharon viewed an acrolithic figure dating back to the 15th century.
acrology (s) (noun), acrologies (pl)
In the development of alphabetic writing, a principle involving the use of initial sounds or signs in accordance with which letters have been evolved, named, and used: An example of acarology is the use of "A" as the first sound of the Geek term "alpha".
acromacria (s) (noun) (no pl)
Abnormal length of the fingers; arachnodactyly: The obsolete term acromacria depicts the long and slender hands and fingers, and sometimes the feet and toes of a person, and is a characteristic term for the Marfan syndrome.
acromania (s) (noun), acromanias (pl)
One of various kinds of insanity in which agitation and overly active excitement are prominent: An obsolete or old term for a chronic incurable type of insanity is called acromania.
acromastitis (s) (noun) (no pl)
Inflammation of the nipple or nipples; thelitis: When Lynn was nursing her baby, the nipple of her breast started hurting a lot and her doctor told her that she had a case of acromastitis and could be cured with some medication.

Quiz If you would like to take a self-scoring quiz over many of the words in this unit, then click Acro- Quiz.