dropsy

American  

[drop-see] / ˈdrɒp si /

noun

1. (formerly) edema.

2. an infectious disease of fishes, characterized by a swollen, spongelike body and protruding scales, caused by a variety of the bacterium Pseudomonas punctata.

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dropsy British  

/ ˈdrɒpsɪ, ˈdrɒpsɪkəl /

noun

1. pathol a condition characterized by an accumulation of watery fluid in the tissues or in a body cavity

2. slang a tip or bribe

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Other Word Forms

• dropsical adjective
• dropsically adverb
• dropsied adjective

Etymology

Origin of dropsy

1250–1300; Middle English drop ( e ) sie, aphetic variant of ydropesie < Old French < Medieval Latin ( h ) ydrōpisīa, equivalent to Latin hydrōpis ( is ) (< Greek hydrōpi-, stem of hýdrōps dropsy ( hydr- hydr- ¹ + -ōpsi- < ?) + -sis -sis ) + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

These mats come with plenty of textures and styles, but they also will likely be the most expensive. 3D floor mats are perfect for parents and anyone who gets the dropsies while driving.

From Seattle Times

He read his grandmother’s life story, which said her father died in 1900 from “dropsy,” an old-fashioned term for swelling from excess fluid.

From Washington Times

Those numbers against Seattle wouldn’t have been quite as bad if not for a case of the dropsies from his receivers.

From Seattle Times

Those numbers against Seattle wouldn’t have been quite as bad if not for a case of the dropsies from his receivers.

From Washington Times

Don’t come straggling into the office one morning muttering, “First, gout. Now ague, biliousness, lumbago, Saint Vitus’s dance and dropsy. What’s next, apoplexy?”

From Washington Post