myelo

Myelo is a combining form used in medical terminology, derived from the Greek myelos meaning marrow. It denotes a relationship to bone marrow or, in neurological terms, to the spinal cord, depending on the context.

In hematology and related fields, myelo- or myel- appears in terms describing bone marrow origin or marrow-derived processes. Examples include myeloblast (an immature bone marrow cell), myelocyte (a more mature marrow cell), myelopoiesis (blood cell formation in the marrow), myelodysplasia (bone marrow failure with abnormal cell development), myelofibrosis (fibrosis of the marrow), and myeloma (a plasma cell tumor in bone marrow). The term also forms adjectives such as myeloid, which refers to the bone marrow lineage of blood cells.

In neurology and neuroanatomy, the root more commonly denotes the spinal cord. Terms such as myelopathy (disease of the spinal cord), myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord), and myelography (imaging of the spinal canal) illustrate this usage. Some words use the spelling myelo- or myel-, depending on tradition and euphony.

Etymology and scope: myelo- comes from Greek myelos meaning marrow and has entered medical English through Latinized forms. The prefix participates in a broader set of terms relating to the marrow or spinal cord and is context-dependent, with bone marrow terminology typically emphasizing hematology, and spinal cord terminology emphasizing neurology.

See also: medullary, myelination, myeloid, myelopathy, myelitis.