anencephalous

9.9

Born without most or all of the brain

adjective
/ˌænənˈsɛfələs/

Specialized

: anencefálico

Embryonic development can sometimes result in an anencephalous fetus due to neural tube defects.

Examples

The baby was born anencephalous.
The anencephalous infant was diagnosed shortly after birth.
Doctors explained the anencephalous condition to the concerned parents.
Doctors diagnosed the anencephalous condition in the early stages of pregnancy.
Doctors diagnosed the anencephalous condition in the early stages of pregnancy.
Embryonic development can sometimes result in an anencephalous fetus due to neural tube defects.
The anencephalous infant was diagnosed shortly after birth.

Synonyms

anencephalic

vsanencephalous

Specialized

1 9.9

Having little or no brain when a baby is born

is a general descriptive term used also outside strict medical contexts

Surface Forms

anencephalous positive

Morphology

anencephalous = encephalous (semi-transparent) = an + encephal + ous

The prefix 'an-' indicates absence, and 'encephalous' relates to the brain, but the medical context may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Anencephalous comes from Greek parts an- meaning 'without' and encephalon meaning 'brain', where that second part comes from a Greek word for 'head'. So it literally means 'without a brain', which is why doctors use it for a condition when the brain is missing.