Phrase guide

cri du chat syndrome

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A rare genetic disorder identified by the catlike cry of the infant, caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cri du chat

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French cri du chat (“cry of the cat; cat's cry”). First described and coined by French pediatrician and geneticist Jérôme Lejeune in 1963.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: syndrome du cri du chat — congenital syndrome caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome
  • French: maladie du cri du chat — congenital syndrome caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome
  • Portuguese: síndrome do cri du chat — congenital syndrome caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome
  • Portuguese: síndrome de cri du chat — congenital syndrome caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome