elephant man's disease
Americannoun
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You just found the gene for neurofibromatosis, often confused with Elephant Man's disease.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
