Meanings
plural hydrocephaluses · plural hydrocephali
- uncountableusuallymedicineA usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain, destroying much of the neural tissue.
She was born with a condition known as hydrocephalus, which doctors said was caused by a listeriosis infection that her mother contracted while pregnant.
2025 January 25, Hanna Ziady, “‘Our innocent kids are struggling.’ Victims of massive listeriosis outbreak say those responsible must ‘do the right thing’”, in CNN, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2025Synonyms: water on the brain
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA usually congenital condition in which an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles causes enlargement of the skull and compression of the brain, destroying much of the neural tissue.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan abnormal condition in which cerebrospinal fluid collects in the ventricles of the brain; in infants it can cause abnormally rapid growth of the head and bulging fontanelles and a small face; in adults the symptoms are primarily neurological
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wed-
- Proto-Indo-European*wódr̥
- Proto-Hellenic*údōr
- Ancient Greekῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr)
- Ancient Greekὑδρο- (hudro-)
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰebʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰébʰōl
- Proto-Hellenic*kʰepʰəlā́
- Ancient Greekκεφαλή (kephalḗ)
- Ancient Greekὑδροκέφαλον (hudroképhalon)
- Englishhydrocephalus
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὑδροκέφαλον (hudroképhalon).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὑδροκέφαλον
- ὑδροκέφαλον (hudroképhalon)skull enlargement due to fluid
Arabic مواه الرأس
- مواه الرأسskull enlargement due to fluid
Basque hidrozefalia
- hidrozefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Catalan hidrocefàlia
- hidrocefàliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Cantonese 腦積水 /脑积水, 水腦症 /水脑症
- 腦積水 /脑积水 (nou⁵ zik¹ seoi²)skull enlargement due to fluid
- 水腦症 /水脑症 (seoi² nou⁵ zing³)skull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Mandarin 腦積水 /脑积水, 水腦症 /水脑症
- 腦積水 /脑积水 (nǎojīshuǐ)skull enlargement due to fluid
- 水腦症 /水脑症 (shuǐnǎozhèng)skull enlargement due to fluid
Czech hydrocefalus
- hydrocefalusskull enlargement due to fluid
Dutch hydrocefalus, waterhoofd
- hydrocefalusskull enlargement due to fluid
- waterhoofdskull enlargement due to fluid
Finnish hydrokefalia
- hydrokefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
French hydrocéphalie
- hydrocéphalieskull enlargement due to fluid
German Hydrocephalus, Hydrozephalus
- Hydrocephalusskull enlargement due to fluid
- Hydrozephalusskull enlargement due to fluid
- Wasserkopfskull enlargement due to fluid
Greek υδροκεφαλία
- υδροκεφαλία (ydrokefalía)skull enlargement due to fluid
Hebrew הִידְרוֹצֶפָלוּס
- הִידְרוֹצֶפָלוּס (hidrotsefalus)skull enlargement due to fluid
Hindi जलशीर्ष
- जलशीर्ष (jalśīrṣ)skull enlargement due to fluid
Icelandic vatnshöfuð
- vatnshöfuðskull enlargement due to fluid
Indonesian hidrosefalus
- hidrosefalusskull enlargement due to fluid
Irish hiodracafalas
- hiodracafalasskull enlargement due to fluid
Italian idrocefalo, idrocefalia
- idrocefaloskull enlargement due to fluid
- idrocefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Japanese 水頭症
- 水頭症 (suitōshō)skull enlargement due to fluid
Korean 수두증
- 수두증 (sudujeung)skull enlargement due to fluid
Latvian hidrocefālija
- hidrocefālijaskull enlargement due to fluid
Lithuanian hidrocefalija, vandenė
- hidrocefalijaskull enlargement due to fluid
- vandenėskull enlargement due to fluid
Polish wodogłowie, wodomózgowie
- wodogłowieskull enlargement due to fluid
- wodomózgowieskull enlargement due to fluid
- hydrocefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Portuguese hidrocefalia
- hidrocefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Romanian hidrocefalie
- hidrocefalieskull enlargement due to fluid
Russian гидроцефа́лия, водя́нка головно́го мо́зга
- гидроцефа́лия (gidrocefálija)skull enlargement due to fluid
- водя́нка головно́го мо́зга (vodjánka golovnóvo mózga)skull enlargement due to fluid
Slovak hydrocefália
- hydrocefáliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Spanish hidrocefalia
- hidrocefaliaskull enlargement due to fluid
Swedish vattenskalle, hydrocefalus
- vattenskalleskull enlargement due to fluid
- hydrocefalusskull enlargement due to fluid
Thai ภาวะโพรงสมองคั่งน้ำ
- ภาวะโพรงสมองคั่งน้ำ (paa-wá prohng sà-mŏng-kâng náam)skull enlargement due to fluid
Turkish hidrosefali
- hidrosefaliskull enlargement due to fluid
Ukrainian гідроцефалія
- гідроцефалія (hidrocefalija)skull enlargement due to fluid
Cite this entry
hydrocephalus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrocephalus
“hydrocephalus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrocephalus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hydrocephalus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hydrocephalus.
Source: hydrocephalus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.