Definitions

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

  • noun Excessive or abnormal thirst.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In pathology, excessive thirst. It is usually accompanied by hydruria.

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

  • noun (Med.) Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

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

  • noun medicine Excessive and constant thirst occasioned by disease.

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

  • noun excessive thirst (as in cases of diabetes or kidney dysfunction)

Etymologies

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

[poly– + Greek dipsa, thirst + –ia.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

New Latin, from Greek much + thirst.

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Examples

  • The funny thing is, I'd just been reading about psychogenic polydipsia.

    Archive 2005-04-01 2005

  • The first signs of poisoning in dogs include vomiting, haematemesis, and polydipsia.

    Death By Chocolate Beach Blogger 2005

  • The first signs of poisoning in dogs include vomiting, haematemesis, and polydipsia.

    Archive 2005-09-01 Beach Blogger 2005

  • In Type 1 diabetes, the classic symptoms are excessive secretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), weight loss and a feeling of lassitude.

    Chapter 2 1999

  • In the autumn of 1918, the patient had polydipsia and polyuria, and complained of weakness.

    Frederick G. Banting - Nobel Lecture 1965

  • About the middle of March, 1917, he suddenly developed polyuria, polyphagia, and polydipsia, and lost fourteen pounds in weight in a fortnight.

    Frederick G. Banting - Nobel Lecture 1965

  • In the dog the blood sugar rises from normal to 150 to 300 mg per cent; there is glycosuria; ketonemia and ketonuria increase; and there is polyuria and polydipsia.

    Bernardo Houssay - Nobel Lecture 1964

  • There are three cases of polydipsia reported from London in 1792. 9.121

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • There was apparently no polydipsia during the daytime.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • Many instances could be quoted, some in which extreme cases of polydipsia and bulimia developed; these can be readily attributed to the increased call for liquids and food.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

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