* "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 combining form comes from the Greek word "myelos", meaning "marrow". It refers to the spinal cord, which is made up of bone marrow.
* "-itis" - This suffix is a common medical term meaning "inflammation".
Therefore, poliomyelitis literally means "inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord".