HealthAugust 29, 2026

osteoporosis

OS-tee-oh-puh-ROH-sis

Definition

A medical condition where bones become weak, brittle, and prone to breaking, often due to a loss of bone density as the body ages.

Etymology

The word is derived from the Greek 'osteon' (bone) and 'poros' (pore or passage), combined with the suffix '-osis' indicating a diseased or abnormal condition, reflecting how the disease causes bones to become porous.

In the news

The article highlights that younger women are increasingly being diagnosed with osteoporosis as a consequence of depleted muscle mass, emphasizing the importance of muscle in protecting long-term bone health.

Women's health: The muscle crisis no one is talking about

Read the full article ↗

Castanet

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.