Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Noonan's syndrome

Noonan's syndrome

9.6
A genetic condition that makes a person short, gives distinctive facial features, and often causes heart and fertility problems
  • noun
  • /ˈnuːnənz ˈsɪndroʊm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : síndrome de Noonan
  • The doctor confirmed that the boy had Noonan's syndrome after observing his distinctive facial features.

Examples

  • Children with Noonan's syndrome may have heart defects.

  • Genetic counseling is often recommended for families affected by Noonan's syndrome.

  • Some children with Noonan's syndrome may require special care due to their heart problems.

  • Is Noonan's syndrome hereditary?

  • The doctor confirmed that the boy had Noonan's syndrome after observing his distinctive facial features.

  • Some children with Noonan's syndrome may require special care due to their heart problems.

  • Genetic counseling is often recommended for families affected by Noonan's syndrome.

Surface Forms

Noonan's syndrome singular
Noonan syndromes plural

Morphology

Noonan's + syndrome

The headword contains the clear lexical item 'syndrome', so a B1 learner who knows that word will understand this is a named medical condition (partial meaning). However 'Noonan's' is an eponym (a proper name) with no lexical content about symptoms, so the specific features of the condition cannot be derived from the constituents, making the overall expression only partially predictable.

Etymology

Noonan's syndrome is named after Dr. Jacqueline Noonan, the doctor who first described this set of features in children. Because syndrome means a 'group of symptoms', doctors used her name for this genetic condition, so today Noonan's syndrome refers to that particular set of features.