Definition

Noun: A medical term for excessive or abnormally great thirst. This condition is often persistent and cannot be satisfied by normal fluid intake. It is frequently a symptom of an underlying disease, such as diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus, or certain kidney disorders.

Usage

Polydipsia is used specifically in medical and clinical contexts to describe a symptom. It is a formal term. - The patient's primary complaints were polydipsia and frequent urination. - Polydipsia is a common presenting sign in uncontrolled diabetes.

Examples

• The doctor noted that the sudden onset of polydipsia warranted further investigation.
• In cases of diabetes insipidus, polydipsia is the body's response to excessive water loss.

Advanced Usage

• Psychogenic polydipsia: A specific type where excessive water intake is driven by a psychological compulsion, not an underlying physical metabolic issue, and can lead to water intoxication.
  • The psychiatric patient was monitored for psychogenic polydipsia.

Variants and Related Words

• Dipsia (suffix): A suffix meaning "thirst" or "related to drinking," as seen in terms like (absence of thirst) and (abnormally low thirst).
• Polydipsic (adjective): Relating to or characterized by polydipsia.
  • The polydipsic patient required constant access to fluids.

Synonyms

• Excessive thirst: The direct descriptive phrase.
• Hyperdipsia: A less common near-synonym also meaning excessive thirst.

Antonyms

• Adipsia: Absence of thirst or lack of desire to drink.
• Oligodipsia: Abnormally diminished thirst.

Noun

1. excessive thirst (as in cases of diabetes or kidney dysfunction)