Hydrocephalus
/ˌhaɪdrəˈsɛf.ə.ləs/noun
A condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain.
Did you know?The word is built from Greek medical language, where *hydōr* meant water and *kephalē* meant head, so the diagnosis was named with a brutally literal image rather than a mystical one.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
ὑδροκέφαλος (hydroképhalos)
“water-headed; having fluid in the head”
Late Latin
LAT
hydrocephalus
“a medical term for fluid on the brain”
16th Century
EN
hydrocephalus
“a medical condition involving abnormal fluid in the head”
Modern English
EN
hydrocephalus
“a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain”
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