Definition

A medical condition where a muscle in the body, like the one in the esophagus, does not relax properly, making it difficult for food and liquids to pass through.

Example

Patients with achalasia often experience difficulty swallowing due to the esophagus not relaxing properly.

Conversation

I heard about a condition called achalasia that affects swallowing.

Oh really? I haven't heard much about that before.

Yeah, it happens when the muscles in the esophagus don't relax properly.

That sounds really uncomfortable; I hope they have treatments for it.

Root Explanation

Achalasia is derived from the Greek roots "a-" (meaning not) and "chalasis" (from "chalassein", meaning to relax). The term describes a condition where there is a failure to relax the lower esophageal sphincter, leading to difficulty in swallowing.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not relaxing' ('a-') the esophagus ('chalasis') — that's why achalasia refers to the inability to relax the esophagus properly.

Visually Confused Words