myxedema

noun

myx·​ede·​ma ˌmik-sə-ˈdē-mə How to pronounce myxedema (audio)
: severe hypothyroidism characterized by firm inelastic edema, dry skin and hair, and loss of mental and physical vigor
myxedematous adjective

Examples of myxedema in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Particularly in situations where people get illnesses such as the flu, people can get an infection and go into the state of myxedema coma, a life-threatening disorder where the mortality rate is extremely high. BostonGlobe.com, 9 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'myxedema.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

myx- + edema

Note: Term introduced by the British physician William Miller Ord (1834-1902) in "On myxœdema, a term proposed to be applied to the essential condition in the 'cretinoid' affection occasionally observed in middle-aged women," Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, vol. 61 (1878), p. 71: "As regards the class of cases immediately in question, my suggestion is that the whole collection of symptoms are related as effects to jelly-like swelling of the connective tissue, chiefly if not entirely consisting in an overgrowth of the mucus-yielding cement by which the fibrils of the white element are held together. Accordingly I propose to give the name o

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of myxedema was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near myxedema

Cite this Entry

“Myxedema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myxedema. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

myxedema

noun
myx·​ede·​ma
variants or chiefly British myxoedema
: severe hypothyroidism characterized by firm inelastic edema, dry skin and hair, and loss of mental and physical vigor
myxedematous adjective
or chiefly British myxoedematous

More from Merriam-Webster on myxedema

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!