Definition

A condition where blood leaks from damaged blood vessels into the skin or tissues, causing a purple or blue discoloration.

Example

After the fall, she had a large ecchymosis on her arm that took weeks to heal.

Conversation

Hey, I noticed that bruise on your arm; what happened?

Oh, it's just a small injury from playing basketball.

It looks pretty bad; is that ecchymosis I see?

Yeah, the doctor said it's just a common thing after a bump.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Ecchymosis is formed from "ek-" (meaning out) and "chymos" (meaning juice or fluid). The term describes the condition where blood seeps out of vessels into the surrounding tissue, resulting in a bruise, which can be visualized as fluid coming out from the blood vessels.

Memory Tip

Think of blood 'seeping out' ('ek-') as a 'fluid' ('chymos') that causes discoloration on the skin, which is what ecchymosis refers to.

Visually Confused Words