anencephalous
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Characterized by the partial or total absence of a brain: This is a medical term describing a severe congenital condition where a fetus or infant is born without major portions of the brain, skull, and scalp.
Usage
- The word "anencephalous" is a highly specialized medical adjective. It is used almost exclusively in clinical, pathological, or scientific contexts to describe a specific and severe birth defect. It is not used in everyday conversation.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The ultrasound revealed an anencephalous fetus.
- Anencephalous infants rarely survive for long after birth.
- The study focused on the causes of anencephalous development.
Advanced Usage
- The term is typically used attributively (before a noun) as in "anencephalous infant" rather than predicatively. Its use is strictly descriptive within a medical framework.
Variants and Related Words
- Anencephaly (n): The name of the condition or disorder itself.
- Anencephaly is a fatal neural tube defect.
- Anencephalic (adj): A more common variant adjective with identical meaning.
- The report described the specimen as anencephalic.
Synonyms
- Medical Synonym: Anencephalic (adj). There are no true common-language synonyms for this precise medical term. Descriptive phrases like "lacking a brain" or "born without a brain" convey the general idea but lack clinical specificity.
Antonyms
- There is no direct single-word antonym. The opposite condition would be described as "neurologically normal" or "with a fully developed brain."
Notes
- "Anencephalous" is derived from Greek roots: (without) + (brain). It is a formal, technical term.
Adjective
- characterized by partial or total absence of a brain