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tokos

Tokos is the transliteration of the Ancient Greek τόκος, meaning birth, offspring, or begetting. In classical Greek, τόκος referred to the birth process and its offspring, and it was used in biological and familial contexts. The term is the etymological source of the English medical prefix toc- (or tok-), which appears in terms related to childbirth and labor.

In ancient literature, τόκος occurs in discussions of reproduction in both humans and animals. Philosophers and physicians

Modern Greek uses τόκος as a general term for birth or offspring, though everyday speech commonly employs

In medical terminology, the root toc- appears in English and other languages in obstetric terms. Examples include

See also: toco- (prefix); obstetrics; Greek language; birth.

used
the
word
to
distinguish
birth
from
other
processes
and
to
consider
heredity,
maternity,
and
the
generative
capacity
of
living
beings.
The
term
also
survives
in
later
biological
and
medical
terminology
that
preserves
the
concept
of
birth
as
a
specific
phase
or
product
of
reproduction.
other
words
such
as
γέννηση
for
the
event
of
birth.
The
concept
remains
present
in
discussions
of
heredity,
kinship,
and
reproductive
biology.
tocolysis
(the
suppression
of
uterine
contractions
during
preterm
labor),
tocolytic
(a
drug
that
suppresses
labor),
and
tocodynamics
or
tocography
(the
monitoring
of
contractions).
The
prefix
emphasizes
birth-related
processes
rather
than
a
specific
disease.