floppy infant syndrome
- noun
- /ˈflɑpi ˈɪnfənt ˈsɪndroʊm/
- Formal
- The pediatrician was concerned about floppy infant syndrome after noticing the baby's weak muscle tone.
Examples
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The doctor diagnosed the baby with floppy infant syndrome.
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Parents were educated on the signs of floppy infant syndrome at the neonatal clinic.
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Early intervention can improve outcomes for infants diagnosed with floppy infant syndrome.
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Parents should be aware of floppy infant syndrome signs.
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Early intervention can improve outcomes for infants diagnosed with floppy infant syndrome.
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Parents were educated on the signs of floppy infant syndrome at the neonatal clinic.
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The pediatrician was concerned about floppy infant syndrome after noticing the baby's weak muscle tone.
Synonyms
Muscles that are very loose so arms and legs feel limp and move easily
Antonyms
How Floppy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from the parts: 'floppy' (limp), 'infant' (baby) and 'syndrome' (a set of symptoms), so a B1 learner who knows these words can infer it denotes a condition in which an infant is limp due to reduced muscle tone. This construction follows a common medical noun pattern and has clear cross‑linguistic parallels, making the expression transparent.
Etymology
Floppy infant syndrome comes from a simple image: floppy means limp like a soft toy and infant means baby, so it describes a baby who cannot hold itself up because the muscles are weak. So, the phrase is used to mean 'low muscle tone' in babies and explains why they look limp.