oedema

American  

[ih-dee-muh] / ɪˈdi mə /

noun

Pathology.

plural

oedemata

1. Chiefly British. a variant of edema.

---

oedema British  

/ ɪˈdiːmə, ɪˈdɛmətəs /

noun

1. pathol an excessive accumulation of serous fluid in the intercellular spaces of tissue

2. plant pathol an abnormal swelling in a plant caused by a large mass of parenchyma or an accumulation of water in the tissues

---

Other Word Forms

• oedematous adjective

Etymology

Origin of oedema

C16: via New Latin from Greek oidēma, from oidein to swell

Example Sentences

The heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary oedema, when fluid builds up in the lungs, the preliminary autopsy confirmed.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

This is the result of what medics call grade three oedema and dermatosis.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2022

There were problems with the blood vessels and the animals suffered from an accumulation of fluid, known as oedema.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2018

On 8 January 1948, a day after learning he had been granted British citizenship, he died of acute pulmonary oedema.

From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2013

Welch consequently regards the immediate cause of this form of pulmonary oedema as a predominant weakness of the left ventricle.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various