amelia

1 9.9

A condition when a person is born missing limbs such as an arm or a leg

noun
/əˈmiːliə/

Specialized

: amelia

Due to amelia, he requires special assistance for daily tasks that involve using his hands.

Examples

Many children with amelia benefit from adaptive technology to help them navigate their environments.
In the cockpit, an exhausted Amelia battles through torrents of wind and rain.

Academic text (2009)
Sherlock Holmes stories are also among my favorites, as are the Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters.

Blog text (21)
Amelia was born with a rare congenital condition called amelia, meaning she has no arms.

Synonyms

congenital defect

vsamelia

Specialized

8 4.2

A problem in the body or how it works that is present at birth

is a specific absence of one or more arms or legs at birth

congenital anomaly

vsamelia

Specialized

1 6.0

A body or organ problem present when a baby is born

describes a total lack of one or more arms or legs at birth

congenital abnormality

vsamelia

Specialized

1 5.4

A health problem in the body or the way it works that is present when a baby is born

is limited to complete absence of arms or legs rather than other birth problems

Surface Forms

amelia singular

amelias plural

Morphology

amelia = a + melia

Although analyzable as the negative prefix 'a-' + the combining form 'melia' (limb), 'melia' is not a standalone English word and the term is specialized medical vocabulary, so an average learner cannot derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Amelia comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'without' and melos meaning 'limb', so a helpful way to remember it is as being 'without a limb'; that's why amelia names the condition of being born missing one or more arms or legs.