lipedema

[ lip-i-dee-muh ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a chronic condition most common in women that is characterized by unusual, uneven, painful accumulation and distribution of fat in the calves, thighs, buttocks, or sometimes upper arms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lipedema¹

lip- ( def ) + edema ( def ); coined by U.S. physicians Lester E. Wold (1914–83), Edgar A. Hines, Jr. (1905–78), and Edgar V. Allen (1900–61) in their article “Lipedema of the legs: a syndrome characterized by fat legs and edema” (1951)