New words – 21 February 2022

a woman standing alone in a forest with her arms outstretched
Adrià Escobet Montalban / EyeEm / Getty

nature prescription noun [C, U]
UK /ˌneɪ.tʃə prɪˈskrɪp.ʃᵊn/ US /ˌneɪ.tʃɚ prɪˈskrɪp.ʃᵊn/
an instruction from a doctor to a patient to engage with nature and spend time outdoors as a way of helping to treat physical and mental illnesses without the use of medication

Slowing down to smell the roses is now recognised by Scottish GPs as a potent remedy for conditions that range from obesity and diabetes to dementia and depression. The people behind a “nature prescription” pilot scheme in Edinburgh say their experiment has been so successful it should be implemented nationwide. In the project NHS medics worked with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland to encourage patients to connect with nature.
[thetimes.co.uk, 16 January 2022]

flurona noun [U]
UK /ˌfluːˈrəʊ.nə/ US /ˌfluːˈroʊ.nə/
a name that describes the condition of being infected with flu and COVID-19 at the same time

Many people around the world kicked off 2022 by searching for more information about “flurona,” after Israel reported that two young pregnant women had tested positive for both the coronavirus and the flu … While the word is relatively new and rising in popularity, cases of flu and coronavirus co-infections are not. And flurona is not a distinct disease but refers to when a person has been infected with both viruses.
[washingtonpost.com, 6 January 2022]

space anaemia noun [U]
/ˌspeɪs əˈniː.mi.ə/
a medical condition experienced by some astronauts when they land on another planet in which their body does not make enough red blood cells

“Space anaemia is uncovered upon landing on a new planet and must be reversed otherwise symptoms of weakness, fatigue and low working capacity can endanger mission objectives,” [said] Guy Trudel, a rehabilitation physician and researcher … “The gravity at the new planet would impact the recovery from space anaemia. This is a consideration that we might have underestimated when it comes to colonising other planets,” he said.
[inews.co.uk, 14 January 2022]

About new words

5 thoughts on “New words – 21 February 2022

  1. Pasquale Nataniel Alexander Thene

    I think flurona is a cool word and useful too. For example, you don’t need to say “I have the flu and corona at the same time”. you can just say “I have flurona”. It makes it easier to say especially when the patient will have some difficulty talking I suppose so it is shorter for them to say to anyone like their family members.

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