edema

or oe·de·ma

[ ih-dee-muh ]

/ ɪˈdi mə /

noun, plural e·de·mas, e·de·ma·ta [ih-dee-muh-tuh] /ɪˈdi mə tə/. Pathology.

effusion of serous fluid into the interstices of cells in tissue spaces or into body cavities.

Plant Pathology.

a small surface swelling of plant parts, caused by excessive moisture.
any disease so characterized.

Nearby words

eddystone, eddystone rocks, ede, edelman, edelweiss, edema, edema neonatorum, edematous, eden, eden prairie, eden project

Origin of edema

1490–1500; < New Latin oedēma < Greek oídēma a swelling, equivalent to oidē- (variant stem of oideîn to swell) + -ma noun suffix

Related formse·dem·a·tous

[ih-dem-uh-tuh s, ih-dee-muh-] /ɪˈdɛm ə təs, ɪˈdi mə-/, e·dem·a·tose

[ih-dem-uh-tohs, ih-dee-muh-] /ɪˈdɛm əˌtoʊs, ɪˈdi mə-/, adjectivepseu·do·e·de·ma, noun, plural pseu·do·e·de·ma·ta.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for edema

Under all these conditions the striking pathologic change—absent in scurvy—is edema.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess
Edema occurs frequently, the fluid in the acini often containing red blood-cells.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess
This bears only a partial resemblance to beriberi, as there is no edema, nor dyspnœa, and its course is more chronic.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess
Edema affects the subcutaneous tissues, producing great swelling in the regions where these tissues are lax.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry|Maximilian Stern

Edema of the lungs is not uncommon, as we should expect, especially as a terminal condition.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess

British Dictionary definitions for edema

edema

/ (ɪˈdiːmə) /

noun plural -mata (-mətə)

the usual US spelling of oedema

Derived Formsedematous (ɪˈdɛmətəs) or edematose, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for edema

edema

c.1400, from medical Latin, from Greek oidema (genitive oidematos) "a swelling tumor," from oidein "to swell," from oidos "tumor, swelling," from PIE *oid- "to swell;" cf. Latin aemidus "swelling," Armenian aitumn "a swelling," Old Norse eista "testicle," Old English attor "poison" (that which makes the body swell), and the first element in Oedipus.

Medicine definitions for edema

edema

[ ĭ-dē′mə ]

n. pl. e•de•mas

An accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities.

Science definitions for edema

edema

[ ĭ-dē′mə ]

An accumulation of an excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or body cavities. Edema can be mild and benign as in pregnancy or prolonged standing in the elderly, or a serious sign of heart, liver, or kidney failure, or of other diseases.