Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hydatidiform mole

hydatidiform mole

9.9
A rare growth in the womb during early pregnancy that forms fluid-filled cysts and often causes loss of the baby
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪdəˈtɪdɪfɔrm moʊl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mola hidatiforme
  • A hydatidiform mole is an unusual condition where the placenta develops into cysts instead of a fetus.

Examples

  • After the diagnosis of a hydatidiform mole, the doctor explained the implications for future pregnancies.

  • She experienced severe symptoms due to a hydatidiform mole, which led to an urgent need for medical intervention.

  • Nor must this particular zygote become a human; it can become a hydatidiform mole, a product of an abnormal fertilization which is formed of placental tissue.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Current chemotherapy regimens can cure almost all patients with gestational trophoblastic disease after hydatidiform mole and over 80% of patients with high-risk disease.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

molar pregnancy
vshydatidiform mole
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Tissue in the womb during early pregnancy that forms a mass of small sacs and causes loss of the baby

is the detailed pathological description of the same pregnancy complication
hydatid mole
vshydatidiform mole
  • Specialized
9.9

A pregnancy condition where tissue grows into many fluid-filled sacs instead of a baby

has identical meaning but is an alternative medical name

Surface Forms

hydatidiform mole singular
hydatidiform moles plural

Morphology

hydatidiform + mole

This is a technical medical compound: 'hydatidiform' signals cystic, abnormal growths and 'mole' denotes a mass/tissue, so part of the meaning is compositionally encoded. However, the precise clinical sense (abnormal placental development in early pregnancy often causing fetal loss) and the obstetric use of 'mole' are specialised and not predictable from general English use, so a B1 learner would not reliably derive the full meaning from the constituents.

Etymology

Hydatidiform mole comes from hydatid (meaning 'water-filled sac') and mole (meaning 'mass'), because the tissue in the womb turns into many small fluid-filled cysts that look like a bunch of grapes. That's why the name describes this abnormal pregnancy growth that usually ends the pregnancy.