phantom limb syndrome

1 6.1

A feeling of pain or other sensations in a missing limb

noun
/ˈfæntəm lɪm ˈsɪndroʊm/

Specialized

: síndrome de miembro fantasma

After his leg was amputated, he often felt pain in his missing foot due to phantom limb syndrome.

Examples

Many amputees experience phantom limb syndrome, where they can still feel sensations in the limb that is no longer there.
It feels like that phantom limb syndrome.

The Women (2008)
And like, if you have phantom limb syndrome and there's pain there, pain's that we're on the same page.
Doctors explain that phantom limb syndrome can lead to intense discomfort for patients who have lost a limb.

Synonyms

phantom limb

vsphantom limb syndrome

Specialized

3 7.0

A feeling after losing an arm or leg that it is still there

focuses on pain or varied sensations rather than only feeling presence

phantom limb pain

vsphantom limb syndrome

Specialized

1 7.2

An uncomfortable feeling that seems to come from a missing arm or leg

includes pain but also other sensations from the missing body part

How Severe

phantom limb pain

Specialized

1 7.2

phantom limb syndrome

Specialized

1 6.1

Surface Forms

phantom limb syndrome singular

phantom limb syndromes plural

Morphology

phantom + limb + syndrome

The phrase is fully compositional: 'phantom' (illusory) + 'limb' (appendage) + 'syndrome' (set of symptoms) yields a set of symptoms related to an illusory limb. This structure is cross-linguistically common (e.g. French 'syndrome du membre fantôme'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Phantom limb syndrome comes from the image of a phantom, meaning a ghost, of a missing limb that people still 'feel' after the limb is removed. That's why it means 'feeling pain or other sensations' in a limb that is no longer there.