| death from the sudden cessation of breathing (apnea) of a seemingly healthy infant, almost always during sleep, sometimes traceable to a chronic oxygen deficiency. Abbreviation: SIDS |
| cot death n. Chiefly British Sudden infant death syndrome. |
Also called crib death, the deaths of sleeping infants less than a year old for unexplained reasons.
sudden infant death syndrome sud·den infant death syndrome (sŭd'n)
n.
Abbr. SIDS A fatal syndrome affecting apparently healthy sleeping infants under a year old and that is characterized by a sudden cessation of breathing. Also called crib death.
sudden infant death syndrome  (sŭd'n) Pronunciation Key
A fatal condition that affects sleeping infants that are less than one year old and appear to be healthy. It is characterized by a sudden cessation of breathing and is thought to be caused by a defect in the central nervous system. Also called crib death, SIDS. |