hypothermia

[ hahy-puh-thur-mee-uh ]

/ ˌhaɪ pəˈθɜr mi ə /

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noun

Pathology. subnormal body temperature.

Medicine/Medical. the artificial reduction of body temperature to slow metabolic processes, as for facilitating heart surgery.

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Origin of hypothermia

First recorded in 1885–90; hypo- + therm- + -ia

OTHER WORDS FROM hypothermia

hy·po·ther·mic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use hypothermia in a sentence

In the bone-aching cold, hypothermia can begin to take hold within minutes, and in severe weather conditions, the cold can be fatal within a few hours if there isn’t some type of shelter defense from the elements.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science
While warm beverages alone will not protect you from hypothermia, they are one part of a multipronged approach to treating hypothermic patients in the backcountry, says Zack Fuecker, a Minnesota-based wilderness first responder.
Want to Get Outside All Winter? Bring Your Thermos.|AC Shilton|November 29, 2020|Outside Online
Climbers become hypersensitive to headaches, are more susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia, and have greater difficulty making decisions.
Everest Summits May Become Easier Due to Climate Change|Kyla Mandel|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
Understand the risks Winter camping puts you at a much higher risk for hypothermia and frostbite, serious medical conditions that can sneak up if you’re not careful about your body temperature.
Winter camping is not for the faint of heart. Here’s how to do it.|Melanie D.G. Kaplan|November 6, 2020|Washington Post

Overheating leads to sweating, which can lead to chills or even hypothermia.
11 Ways to Stay Warm This Winter|Outside Editors|October 19, 2020|Outside Online

British Dictionary definitions for hypothermia

hypothermia

/ (ˌhaɪpəʊˈθɜːmɪə) /

noun

pathol an abnormally low body temperature, as induced in the elderly by exposure to cold weather

med the intentional reduction of normal body temperature, as by ice packs, to reduce the patient's metabolic rate: performed esp in heart and brain surgery

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

Medical definitions for hypothermia

hypothermia

[ hī′pə-thûr′mē-ə ]

Abnormally low body temperature.

Other words from hypothermia

hy′po•ther′mic (-mĭk) adj.

Scientific definitions for hypothermia

hypothermia

[ hī′pə-thûr′mē-ə ]

An abnormally low body temperature, often caused by prolonged exposure to cold. Compare hyperthermia.