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Glite Dictionary
acephaly

acephaly

9.9
A condition present at birth when a baby or animal has no head
  • noun
  • /əˈsɛfəli/
  • Specialized
: acefalia
  • Veterinarians documented a case of acephaly in a newborn calf.

Examples

  • The rare disorder known as acephaly can occur during early stages of embryonic development.

  • Scientific reports on congenital acephaly are extremely uncommon.

  • The condition of acephaly is quite rare.

  • Did you hear about acephaly in animals?

  • The rare disorder known as acephaly can occur during early stages of embryonic development.

  • Veterinarians documented a case of acephaly in a newborn calf.

  • Scientific reports on congenital acephaly are extremely uncommon.

Synonyms

acephalism
vsacephaly
  • Specialized
9.9

A birth defect in which an animal or person has no head

is the alternative form used for the same congenital absence
acephalia
vsacephaly
  • Specialized
9.9

A lack of a head in an animal or human before birth

is the broader term for congenital head absence in animals or humans

Antonyms

headedness
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A clear head area on an animal, like in a dog or bird

Surface Forms

acephaly singular
acephalies plural

Morphology

acephaly = a + cephal + y

Formed from learned Greek combining elements (a- + cephal- + -y); the root 'cephal-' is not a standalone English word, so an average B1 learner cannot derive the meaning from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

The word acephaly is made of a- meaning 'without' and cephal- meaning 'head'. So acephaly literally means 'without a head', which is why it names the rare condition of having no head at birth.