aneurysm

or an·eu·rism

[ an-yuh-riz-uhm ]

/ ˈæn yəˌrɪz əm /

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noun Pathology.

a permanent cardiac or arterial dilatation usually caused by weakening of the vessel wall.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of aneurysm

1650–60; <Greek aneúrysma dilation, equivalent to aneurys- (variant stem of aneurýnein to dilate; see an-³, eury-) + -ma noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM aneurysm

an·eu·rys·mal, an·eu·ris·mal, adjectivean·eu·rys·mal·ly, an·eu·ris·mal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aneurysm in a sentence

After he suffered a brain aneurysm, she sat by his side as they removed his life support.
Covid-19 destroyed a young man’s lungs. Can his foster mom let him go?|Steve Thompson|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
I had open-heart surgery a decade ago to fix an aortic aneurysm and calcified valve.
Doctors and patients face a painkiller crisis, even as they fight COVID|matthewheimer|December 16, 2020|Fortune
The presence of diseased patches in the wall of an artery diminishes its elasticity and favours aneurysmal dilatation.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
Aneurysmal varix may occur in the neck as a result of stabs or bullet wounds.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles

Sometimes the arterial vessels are so dilated as to impart to the tumour an aneurysmal pulsation and bruit.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
It is possible to rupture a vessel, the walls of which are encrusted with lime salts, and full of small aneurysmal dilatations.
Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension:|Louis Marshall Warfield

British Dictionary definitions for aneurysm

aneurysm

aneurism

/ (ˈænjəˌrɪzəm) /

noun

a sac formed by abnormal dilation of the weakened wall of a blood vessel

Derived forms of aneurysm

aneurysmal, aneurismal, aneurysmatic or aneurismatic, adjectiveaneurysmally, aneurismally, aneurysmatically or aneurismatically, adverb

Word Origin for aneurysm

C15: from Greek aneurusma, from aneurunein to dilate, from eurunein to widen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for aneurysm

aneurysm

[ ăn′yə-rĭz′əm ]

A localized, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel or cardiac chamber caused by disease, such as arteriosclerosis, or weakening of the vessel or chamber wall. A ruptured aneurysm results in hemorrhage and is often fatal.