dys-

1.
a combining form meaning “ill,” “bad,” used in the formation of compound words:
dysfunction.
Origin
< Greek; cognate with Old Norse tor-, German zer-, Sanskrit dus-
British Dictionary definitions for dys-

dys-

prefix
1.
diseased, abnormal, or faulty: dysentery, dyslexia
2.
difficult or painful: dysuria
3.
unfavourable or bad: dyslogistic
Word Origin
via Latin from Greek dus-
Word Origin and History for dys-

word-forming element meaning "bad, ill, abnormal," from Greek dys-, inseparable prefix "destroying the good sense of a word or increasing its bad sense" [Liddell and Scott], "bad, hard, unlucky," from PIE root (and prefix) *dus- "bad, ill, evil" (cf. Sanskrit dus-, Old Persian duš- "ill," Old English to-, Old High German zur-, Gothic tuz- "un-"), a derivative of *deu- "to lack, be wanting" (cf. Greek dein "to lack, want").

Very productive in ancient Greek, where it could attach even to proper names (e.g. dysparis "unhappy Paris"); its entries take up nine columns in Liddell and Scott. Among the words formed from it were some English might covet: dysouristos "fatally favorable, driven by a too-favorable wind;" dysadelphos "unhappy in one's brothers;" dysagres "unlucky in fishing;" dysantiblepos "hard to look in the face."

dys- in Medicine

dys- pref.

  1. Abnormal: dysplasia.

  2. Impaired: dysesthesia.

  3. Difficult: dysphonia.

  4. Bad: dyspepsia.