Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain, destroying much of the neural tissue.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In pathology, an accumulation of serous fluid within the cranial cavity, either in the subdural space (external hydrocephalus) or in the ventricles (internal hydrocephalus).
  • noun [capitalized] In zoology, a genus of trilobites.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) An accumulation of liquid within the cavity of the cranium, especially within the ventricles of the brain; dropsy of the brain. It is due usually to tubercular meningitis. When it occurs in infancy, it often enlarges the head enormously.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable (medicine) A usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain, destroying much of the neural tissue

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an abnormal condition in which cerebrospinal fluid collects in the ventricles of the brain; in infants it can cause abnormally rapid growth of the head and bulging fontanelles and a small face; in adults the symptoms are primarily neurological

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin, from Greek hudrokephalon : hudro-, hydro- + kephalē, head; see ghebh-el- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • Traditionally, hydrocephalus is detected and treated after birth with a shunting procedure.

    Hydrocephalus 2010

  • The most common form of isolated, obstructive hydrocephalus is so-called “aqueductal stenosis,” which is the blockage of CSF passage through the aqueduct of Sylvius.

    Hydrocephalus 2010

  • Fetal hydrocephalus is also commonly associated with congenital malformation syndromes.

    Hydrocephalus 2010

  • I have an illness called hydrocephalus, which is like having water on the brain.

    Howard Hodgkin: 'I do lose heart, I always have' 2010

  • Yes | No | Report from lost my zero wrote 1 year 19 weeks ago in 2004 I got hydrocephalus from a brain tumor. it was removed in 2005, a "hemioblastoma". now I have double vision, corrected with glasses. my balance is terrible, use a cane or walker to get around. hopefully I can go deer hunting again someday. sigh

    On Gun Sights and Eye Doctors 2008

  • Michael, with hydrocephalus, is five minutes older than Vladimir, who is deaf.

    Boing Boing: April 16, 2006 - April 22, 2006 Archives 2006

  • Fluid on the brain, you know, can also refer to a condition known as hydrocephalus, which is just normal fluid on the brain.

    CNN Transcript Jan 4, 2006 2006

  • Valerie, who suffered from a buildup of brain fluid called hydrocephalus, died in 2007.

    Singer Phoebe Snow Dies at 60 2011

  • Slowly, he explained I had an unidentifiable mass in my brain causing a condition known as hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain.”

    Count Your Blessings Jack Canfield 2009

  • Slowly, he explained I had an unidentifiable mass in my brain causing a condition known as hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain.”

    Count Your Blessings Jack Canfield 2009

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