fetal alcohol syndrome

noun

: a highly variable group of birth defects including intellectual disability, deficient growth, and malformations of the skull and face that tend to occur in the offspring of women who consume large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy

Examples of fetal alcohol syndrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both of the children had been physically and emotionally abused and probably had fetal alcohol syndrome disorders. —Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 7 July 2024

People with fetal alcohol syndrome, the most severe form of FASD, often struggle with cognitive function, learning and memory, concentration and focus, mood regulation, sleep and social interactions. —Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 2024

Drinking excessively can lead to deaths directly related to alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease, alcohol poisoning, suicide by excessive alcohol use, crashes and falls, and fetal alcohol syndrome, among others. —Jen Christensen, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024

Zhou suspects that this rewriting of the epigenetic code is what causes the devastating symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, which is associated with low IQ and behavioral problems. —Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fetal alcohol syndrome

noun

: a variable group of birth defects including deficient mental and physical growth that tend to occur in the offspring of women who drink large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy

Medical Definition

fetal alcohol syndrome

noun

: a highly variable group of birth defects including intellectual disability, deficient growth, central nervous system dysfunction, and malformations of the skull and face that tend to occur in the offspring of women who consume large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy

—abbreviation FAS