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meromelia

meromelia

9.9
A birth condition where part of an arm or leg is missing
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛrəˈmiːliə/
  • Specialized
: meromelia
  • The baby was born with meromelia affecting her left arm.

Examples

  • Cases of meromelia require careful planning for prosthetic fitting and physical therapy.

  • The newborn was diagnosed with meromelia in his right arm by the pediatrician.

  • Doctors noticed that meromelia can result from environmental or genetic factors during pregnancy.

  • Doctors diagnosed him with meromelia shortly after birth.

  • The newborn was diagnosed with meromelia in his right arm by the pediatrician.

  • Cases of meromelia require careful planning for prosthetic fitting and physical therapy.

  • The baby was born with meromelia affecting her left arm.

Synonyms

phocomelia
vsmeromelia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A condition where a baby is born without the upper part of an arm or leg

is a broader partial limb absence that can affect any arm or leg part

Surface Forms

meromelia singular
meromelias plural

Morphology

meromelia = limb (opaque) = mero + melia

Formed from Greek medical combining forms (mero- 'part' + -melia 'limb') that are not recognizable as standalone English morphemes, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from common English bases.

Etymology

Meromelia comes from Greek parts mero- meaning 'part' and -melia meaning 'limb', 'arm' or 'leg'. So, meromelia names a condition where part of an arm or leg is missing at birth.