Meanings
plural anencephalies · alternative anencephalia
- medicineA lethal birth defect involving the abscence of a major portion of the brain and parts of the skull; absence of the encephalon.
Synonyms: anencephalus
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA lethal birth defect involving the abscence of a major portion of the brain and parts of the skull; absence of the encephalon.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna defect in brain development resulting in small or missing brain hemispheres
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- New Latinanencephalia
- Englishanencephaly
Internationalism. Learned borrowing from New Latin anencephalia. By surface analysis, an- + encephaly.
More words from New Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish aivottomuus
- aivottomuusbirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
German Anenzephalie
- Anenzephaliebirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Greek ανεγκεφαλία
- ανεγκεφαλία (anegkefalía)birth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Indonesian anensefali
- anensefalibirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Polish bezmózgowie, anencefalia
- bezmózgowiebirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
- anencefaliabirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Portuguese anencefalia
- anencefaliabirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Spanish anencefalia
- anencefaliabirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Turkish anensefali
- anensefalibirth defect involving the absence of the encephalon
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with anencephaly
Cite this entry
anencephaly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anencephaly
“anencephaly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anencephaly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anencephaly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anencephaly.
Source: anencephaly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.