hypothermia

[ hahy-puh-thur-mee-uh ]

noun
  1. Pathology. subnormal body temperature.

  2. Medicine/Medical. the artificial reduction of body temperature to slow metabolic processes, as for facilitating heart surgery.

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Origin of hypothermia

1
First recorded in 1885–90; hypo- + therm- + -ia

Other words from hypothermia

  • hy·po·ther·mic, adjective

Words Nearby hypothermia

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How to use hypothermia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hypothermia

hypothermia

/ (ˌhaɪpəʊˈθɜːmɪə) /


noun
  1. pathol an abnormally low body temperature, as induced in the elderly by exposure to cold weather

  2. med the intentional reduction of normal body temperature, as by ice packs, to reduce the patient's metabolic rate: performed esp in heart and brain surgery

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hypothermia

hypothermia

[ hī′pə-thûrmē-ə ]


  1. An abnormally low body temperature, often caused by prolonged exposure to cold. Compare hyperthermia.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.