congenital defect
3
4.2
- noun
- /kənˈdʒɛnɪtəl dɪˈfɛkt/
- Specialized
:
defecto congénito
- Her three cousins all had congenital defects suggestive of branchial tract anomalies; two of them underwent surgical excision, but nothing further was known about their cases.
- cause congenital defects
Examples
-
Quaid is shocked and disturbed to see that Madame Fatima's little girl had the same congenital defect.
Fiction book (1990) -
Probably from a virus, cancer, or a congenital defect we didn't know he had.
Blog text (25) -
Generally, most neurosurgeons believe this is a congenital defect that a child inherits from their parents.
Blog text (27) -
Additionally, more infants with severe health problems are surviving the trauma of premature birth or congenital defects.
Academic text (1994) -
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was born with a congenital defect, and both of his legs were amputated below the knees at the age of 11 months.
Blog text (13) -
The doctors discovered a congenital defect in the baby's heart during a routine check-up.
-
Children with congenital defects often require special medical care right from birth.
-
Syndactyly is a common congenital defect where two or more fingers are fused together.
Synonyms
35
4.9
A part of the body that does not develop normally and may need treatment
31
6.1
A part of the body that has an unusual shape due to birth, injury, or disease
30
3.2
A health problem a baby has when they are born
7
6.7
A body part that forms in a wrong way before birth, for example the heart or spine
1
5.4
A health problem in the body or the way it works that is present when a baby is born
1
6.0
A body or organ problem present when a baby is born
1
4.3
A health problem present when a baby is born
1
4.9
A health problem a person has at birth, often from parents' genes or events before birth
A physical problem in the shape of a body part often present at birth
A physical problem present at birth caused by genes or development
How Heritable
- Specialized
1
4.2
- Specialized
6
4.4
- Specialized
3
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a physical or functional abnormality present at birth' is directly and transparently derived from 'congenital' (present at birth) combined with 'defect' (a flaw). This is a straightforward compositional medical noun phrase, and similar formations exist across many languages, so a learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
Congenital defect comes from words that mean 'born with' and 'something wrong'. Congenital refers to being present at birth and defect means a fault or problem, so the phrase means a health problem someone has when they are born.