-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

368 / 371

noun

urination

yoor-ih-NAY-shun/ˌjʊrɪˈneɪʃn/

The act of releasing urine from the body.

Urination removes liquid waste that collects in the bladder.

Etymology

urinatLatinto pass urine

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

Latin urinare names the act of passing urine. The action-noun ending turns that verb into the name of the process of emptying it from the body.

In context

Rahul Damania, MD87:08

let's go ahead and do a practice questions together guys. During a study of bladder function, a healthy 20-year-old man drinks one liter of wa water and delays urination.

HyGuru | USMLE Step 1: 100 Concepts in Gross Anatomy

More examples

She feels a burning sensation during urination.
Frequent urination interrupts his sleep.
The nurse asks about any recent changes in urination.

Forms

urination

urinate verb — To release urine from the body.

urine noun — Liquid waste produced by the kidneys.

Similar words

peeing: Peeing is informal and more common in everyday conversation.
voiding: Voiding can refer to emptying either the bladder or bowel.