( BrE ) ( NAmE hem·or·rhoids ) / ˈhemərɔɪdz; NAmE / noun
[ pl. ] ( medical ) painful swollen veins at or near the anus
SYN piles
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : via Old French and Latin from Greek haimorrhoides (phlebes) bleeding (veins), from haima blood + an element related to rhein to flow.