elephant man's disease

noun

neurofibromatosis.

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Nearby words

elephant ear, elephant fish, elephant folio, elephant grass, elephant gun, elephant man's disease, elephant seal, elephant shrew, elephant's-ear, elephant's-foot, elephant's-trunk snake

Origin of elephant man's disease

from the name given to Englishman John Merrick (1862 or 63–90), who suffered from an extreme form of the disorder and was exhibited as a freak

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