lipedema

especially British, lip·oe·de·ma

[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)

Example Sentences

Baartman had a substantial amount of tissue on her buttocks, perhaps caused by lipedema, and was displayed in Europe as a sexualized curiosity while alive.

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Just ask Crystal Willis, a publicist, marketing professional, influencer and entrepreneur who suffers from a condition called lipedema.

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She has made it her mission, as she told Salon in an email, to show women with lipedema that "sexiness is a state of mind."

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