psychro-, psychr-

The testing of tactile (touch) and other forms of sensibility: Dr. Jones, the neurologist, ran a series of esthesioscopies to try to determine the cause of the difficulty Iva was experiencing while tasting and smelling foods.

Pertaining to low temperatures or cold habitats.

1. A painful sensation of cold.
2. A morbid state characterized by painful subjective sensations of cold.

A reference to plants in which self-pollination takes place within flowers that remain closed because of abnormally cold conditions.

1. The perception of feeling cold even though the body is warm: Even though Jim was wearing a heavy winter coat and ear muffs, he was experiencing psychroesthesia and could not get warm.
2. A subjective sensation of coldness in a part of the body that feels warm to the touch: Irene experienced psychroesthesia in her feet even though she was wearing heavy socks.

A psychroesthesia ran up Lorna's back like a cold chill when she heard an eerie sound up in the attic.

Growth behavior influenced by low temperatures.

Bathing in cold water.

A device for measuring the humidity of the atmosphere by the difference in temperature between two thermometers, the bulb of one kept moist, the other dry. Evaporation from the moist bulb lowers the reading of that thermometer; the greater the difference in readings, the drier the air; no difference indicates 100% relative humidity.

1. The study of the physical laws that influence air and water mixture.
2. The calculation of relative humidity and water vapor pressures from wet and dry bulb temperatures and barometric pressure; whereas relative humidity is the value ordinarily employed, the vapor pressure is the measurement of physiological significance.

1. An organism that grows best at a low temperature (0 to 32 degrees C; 32 to 86 degrees F), with optimum growth occurring at 15 to 20 degrees C (59 to 68 degrees F).
2. An organism that lives or thrives at low temperatures.

1. In biology, thriving at low temperatures.
2. An organism that grows best at a low temperature of 0 to 15 degrees Celsius [32 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit], with optimum growth occurring at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius [60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit].

Used especially in reference to certain bacteria.

1. An abnormal dread of cold conditions, such as cold weather: Helen really hated to go to school during winter because of her psychrophobia.

People who have psychrophobia tend to keep their houses very warm, overdress, and avoid eating or drinking things that are cold or have crushed ice or ice cubes.

2. An excessive aversion or sensitiveness to anything that is cold: The symptoms of psychrophobia can include extreme anxiety, dread and anything associated with panic, such as shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, immoderate sweating, and shaking.

Sam's psychrophobia always prevented him from accepting any drinks with ice cubes in them.

3. Etymology: from Greek psychr-, "cold" + -phobia, "fear, dread." © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A reference to an extreme sensitiveness to cold: James was very psychrophobic in that he wouldn't go outside in winter because of the icy temperatures and the fear of falling on ice!
2. Descriptive of a morbid dread of cold: Ginny, being psychrophobic, came from a place with a very warm climate and couldn't stand the freezing temperatures and bitter icy wind when visiting her relatives in Canada during the winter!

A double catheter through which cold water is circulated to apply cold to the urethra or another canal or cavity.

A plant living in relatively cold polar or alpine habitats or on a cold substratum.