ELEPHANTIASIS


Meaning of ELEPHANTIASIS in English

n.

Pronunciation: ˌ e-l ə -f ə n- ' t ī - ə -s ə s, - ˌ fan-

Function: noun

Inflected Form: plural -a · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, a kind of leprosy, from Greek, from elephant-, elephas

Date: 1562

1 : enlargement and thickening of tissues specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms (esp. Wuchereria bancrofti )

2 : an undesirable usually enormous growth, enlargement, or overdevelopment < elephantiasis of the imagination>

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.