hydrocephalus

[ hahy-druh-sef-uh-luhs ]

/ ˌhaɪ drəˈsɛf ə ləs /

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noun Pathology.

an accumulation of serous fluid within the cranium, especially in infancy, due to obstruction of the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, often causing great enlargement of the head; water on the brain.

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Also hy·dro·ceph·a·ly

[hahy-druh-sef-uh-lee]. /ˌhaɪ drəˈsɛf ə li/.

Origin of hydrocephalus

1660–70; <Late Latin hydrocephalus (morbus) water-headed (sickness), translation of Greek tò hydroképhalon (páthos). See hydro-¹, -cephalous

Words nearby hydrocephalus

hydrocast, hydrocele, hydrocellulose, hydrocephalic, hydrocephaloid, hydrocephalus, hydrochloric, hydrochloric acid, hydrochloride, hydrochlorothiazide, hydrocinnamic acid

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

How to use hydrocephalus in a sentence

Nancy was born with meningitis, septicemia, and hydrocephalus.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That gentleman had lately taken his degree, and had chosen hydrocephalus for the subject of his thesis in the year 1779.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses|William Withering
Acute hydrocephalus is another name for tuberculous meningitis (see Meningitis).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various
Chronic hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain,” consists in an effusion of fluid into the lateral ventricles of the brain.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various

Acute hydrocephalus influences respiration in such a way that it slackens and becomes irregular.
Prof. Koch's Method to Cure Tuberculosis Popularly Treated|Max Birnbaum
Violent diarrhoea resulting from intestinal tuberculosis may be discontinued at the beginning of acute hydrocephalus.
Prof. Koch's Method to Cure Tuberculosis Popularly Treated|Max Birnbaum

British Dictionary definitions for hydrocephalus

hydrocephalus

hydrocephaly (ˌhaɪdrəʊˈsɛfəlɪ)

/ (ˌhaɪdrəʊˈsɛfələs) /

noun

accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles of the brain because its normal outlet has been blocked by congenital malformation or disease. In infancy it usually results in great enlargement of the headNontechnical name: water on the brain

Derived forms of hydrocephalus

hydrocephalic (ˌhaɪdrəʊsɛˈfælɪk), hydrocephaloid or hydrocephalous, 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

Scientific definitions for hydrocephalus

hydrocephalus

[ hī′drō-sĕf′ə-ləs ]

A usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of and injury to brain tissue. If hydrocephalus becomes progressive, a shunt is surgically placed to reduce pressure by conducting fluid away from the brain, usually to the peritoneum.

Other words from hydrocephalus

hydrocephalic adjective (hī′drō-sə-făl′ĭk)