How do you break up the word poliomyelitis into parts?

Here's how you can break down "poliomyelitis" into its parts:

* poli-: This prefix comes from the Greek word "polios" meaning "gray." It refers to the gray matter of the spinal cord, which is affected by the disease.

* -myel-: This root comes from the Greek word "myelos" meaning "marrow." It refers to the bone marrow, which produces the cells that make up the nervous system.

* -itis: This suffix is a common medical term meaning "inflammation."

Therefore, poliomyelitis literally means "inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord."