Meanings
amelia1
plural amelias
- uncountableusuallymedicineThe congenital absence of one or more limbs.
As already mentioned, limb deficiencies – amelias and meromelias – represent an important group of limb abnormalities.
2006, Patrizia Ferretti, Andrew Copp, Cheryll Tickle, Embryos, Genes and Birth Defects, page 1262 more examples
The newborn examination confirms the diagnosis of amelia and distinguishes it from other limb deficiencies (e.g. terminal transverse defects) and sirenomelia.
2020, Birth Defects Surveillance: A Manual for Programme Managers, 2nd edition, World Health Organization, page 1192021, Femi Oyebode, Psychopathology of Rare and Unusual Syndromes, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Cambridge University Press, page 179, Furthermore, the fact that people with amelia can experience phantom limbs, despite never having had any limbs, points to the existence of neural systems ready to respond to sensory inputs from limbs.
Amelia2
- A female given name from the Germanic languages.
In September 2023, Amelia Stafford was 15 and beginning her sophomore year at Terra Linda High School in eastern Marin County, Calif.
2025 November 30, David Darlington, “The Shocking Crash That Led Marin County to Reckon With the Dangers of E-Bikes”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Nov 20252 more examples
By their dresses, their names, and the airs of quality they give themselves, I am rendered ridiculous among all my acquaintance. My wife, who is a very plain good woman, and whose name is Amey, has been new-christened, and is called Amelia; and my little daughter, a child of a year old, is no longer Polly, but Maria.
1776 Adam Fitz-Adam, The World of Adam Fitz-Adam, Edinburgh, Apollo Press 1776: Numb. 187. Thursday, July 29, 1756We must have heard it first on the battery radio, the news about Amelia Earhart, lost over the ocean. […] Air Heart, I saw it spelled, Amelia ... a name like a soft, bold bird.
1982 Carol Fenner, Saving Amelia Earhart,The Third Coast: Contemporary Michigan Fiction page 66 - The alternative name for Amelia Courthouse, Amelia County, Virginia, US.
Origin
amelia · noun
- Ancient Greekμέλος“limb”
- Englishamelia
From a- + Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “limb”) + -ia.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Amelia · proper noun
- Germanic
- EnglishAmelia
A variant of Amalia, derived from Germanic compound names beginning with *amalą (“vigor, bravery”). For the first element, compare *ammōną (“to bother, irritate”). The name and its variants have been confused with the Latin name Aemilia (whence Emilia, Emily) and the French Aimée (whence Amy).
More words from Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan Amèlia
- Amèliafemale given name
Chinese Mandarin 阿米利亞 /阿米利亚
- 阿米利亞 /阿米利亚 (Āmǐlìyà)female given name
Czech Amálie
- Amáliefemale given name
Danish Amalie
- Amaliefemale given name
Finnish Amalia
- Amaliafemale given name
French amélie, Amélie
- améliecongenital absence of one or more limbs
- Améliefemale given name
German Amelie, Amelie
- Ameliecongenital absence of one or more limbs
- Ameliefemale given name
Hungarian Amália
- Amáliafemale given name
Italian amelia
- ameliacongenital absence of one or more limbs
Latvian Amālija
- Amālijafemale given name
Norwegian Amalie
- Amaliefemale given name
Polish Amelia
- Ameliafemale given name
Portuguese amelia, Amélia
- ameliacongenital absence of one or more limbs
- Améliafemale given name
Russian Аме́лия
- Аме́лия (Amélija)female given name
Scottish Gaelic Milde
- Mildefemale given name
Slovak Amália
- Amáliafemale given name
Spanish amelia, Amelia
- ameliacongenital absence of one or more limbs
- Ameliafemale given name
Swedish Amalia
- Amaliafemale given name
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with amelia
Cite this entry
amelia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amelia
“amelia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amelia. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “amelia,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amelia.
Source: amelia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.