hydrophobia
/,haidrə'foubjə/
Definition
- Noun:
- An acute viral disease of the nervous system: A severe, often fatal illness affecting warm-blooded animals, typically transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. This is synonymous with rabies.
- A morbid fear of water: An intense, irrational fear of water or of being near water.
- A symptom of rabies: A specific clinical sign in humans infected with rabies, characterized by difficulty swallowing and a terror of attempting to drink liquids.
Examples of Usage
Noun (Disease):
- The veterinarian confirmed that the dog's aggression was due to hydrophobia.
- Before modern vaccines, hydrophobia was almost always fatal.
Noun (Phobia):
- Her hydrophobia was so severe she avoided swimming pools and even baths.
- The therapist helped him manage his hydrophobia through gradual exposure.
Noun (Rabies Symptom):
- The patient exhibited classic signs of hydrophobia, including throat spasms at the sight of water.
Advanced Usage
- Clinical Context: In medical terminology, "hydrophobia" is most precisely used to describe the symptom of rabies, while "rabies" names the disease itself. However, "hydrophobia" is also a historical and informal name for the disease.
- The old medical texts often referred to rabies as hydrophobia.
Variants and Related Words
- Hydrophobic (adj):
- Chemically repelling water: "The fabric has a hydrophobic coating."
- Having hydrophobia (fear): "The hydrophobic patient panicked near the lake." (This usage is less common than the chemical one).
Synonyms
- For the disease: Rabies, lyssa.
- For the phobia: Aquaphobia (a more precise modern term for the fear of water).
- For the symptom: Dysphagia (specifically for swallowing difficulty, though not exclusive to rabies).
Noun
-
an acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain
-
a morbid fear of water
-
a symptom of rabies in humans consisting of an aversion to swallowing liquids
