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ELEPHANTIASIS

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el⋅e⋅phan⋅ti⋅a⋅sis

  [el-uh-fuhn-tahy-uh-sis, -fan-]
Use ELEPHANTIASIS in a Sentence
–noun
1. Pathology. a chronic filarial disease resulting in lymphatic obstruction, characterized by marked enlargement of the parts affected, esp. of the legs and scrotum, transmitted by mosquitoes.
2. untoward growth or development: bureaucratic elephantiasis.
Origin:
1575–85; < L < Gk elephantíāsis, equiv. to elephant- elephant + -iāsis -iasis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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el·e·phan·ti·a·sis   (ěl'ə-fən-tī'ə-sĭs)   
n.  Chronic, often extreme enlargement and hardening of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, especially of the legs and external genitals, resulting from lymphatic obstruction and usually caused by infestation of the lymph glands and vessels with a filarial worm.

[Latin elephantiāsis, from Greek : elephās, elephant-, elephant + -iāsis, -iasis.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

elephantiasis 
1581, from Gk. elephantos, gen. of elephas "elephant" + -iasis "pathological or morbid condition." It refers to two diseases, one characterized by thickening of a body part (E. Arabum), the other, older meaning is "disease characterized by skin resembling an elephant's" (E. Græcorum, also called Egyptian leprosy).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: el·e·phan·ti·a·sis
Pronunciation: "el-&-f&n-'tI-&-s&s, -"fan-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural el·e·phan·ti·a·ses /-"sEz/
: enlargement and thickening of tissues; specifically : the enormousenlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms of the genus Wuchereria (W. bancrofti) or a related genus (Brugia malayi)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

elephantiasis el·e·phan·ti·a·sis (ěl'ə-fən-tī'ə-sĭs)
n.
Chronic, often extreme enlargement and hardening of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, especially of the legs and external genitals, resulting from lymphatic obstruction and usually caused by infestation of the lymph glands and vessels with a filarial worm.

el'e·phan·ti'ac' (-tī'āk') adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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