😴 Obesity sleep disorder 😂 Odd or funny

Pickwickian

1 9.9

A medical condition with obesity, shallow breathing, and daytime sleepiness

adjective
/ˌpɪkˈwɪk.i.ən/

Archaic

: pickwickiano

The patient was diagnosed with Pickwickian syndrome after showing signs of chronic sleepiness and shallow breathing.

Examples

Treatment for Pickwickian conditions often includes weight loss and respiratory support.
Many patients with Pickwickian syndrome struggle with their weight.
Doctors observed a Pickwickian pattern in the patient's breathing during the sleep study.
The doctor diagnosed her with Pickwickian syndrome after observing her symptoms.
The patient was diagnosed with Pickwickian syndrome after showing signs of obesity and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Treatment for Pickwickian syndrome often involves a combination of weight management and improved sleep hygiene.
Patients with Pickwickian syndrome frequently experience shallow breathing during sleep, requiring medical attention.

Surface Forms

Pickwickian positive

Morphology

Pickwickian = Pickwick (opaque) = Pickwick + ian

The adjective is eponymic and used as a medical label; knowing 'Pickwick' does not let learners infer the medical features (obesity, hypoventilation).

Etymology

Pickwickian comes from Charles Dickens's book The Pickwick Papers, where a character is very 'fat' and often 'sleepy', so doctors used the name for a condition with obesity, shallow breathing, and too much daytime sleepiness.