Main Entry:

el·e·phan·ti·a·sis

Pronunciation:

\ˌe-lə-fən-ˈtī-ə-səs, -ˌfan-\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural el·e·phan·ti·a·ses \-ˌsēz\

Etymology:

New Latin, from Latin, a kind of leprosy, from Greek, from elephant-, elephas

Date:

1562

1: enlargement and thickening of tissues ; specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms (especially Wuchereria bancrofti)2: an undesirable usually enormous growth, enlargement, or overdevelopment <elephantiasis of the imagination>