noun · 2 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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CMU ARPABET:HH AY2 D R OW0 S EH1 F AH0 L AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A 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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
an 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
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hydrocephaly
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: abnormality, abnormalcy
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Hellenic *údōr Ancient Greek ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr) Ancient Greek ὑδρο- (hudro-) Proto-Indo-European *ghebh- Proto-Indo-European *-ōl ? Proto-Indo-European *ghébhōlder. Proto-Hellenic *khephəlā́ Ancient Greek κεφαλή (kephalḗ) Ancient Greek ὑδροκέφαλον (hudroképhalon)bor. English hydrocephalus Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὑδροκέφαλον (hudroképhalon).
Across languages
Translations
54 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مواه الرأس
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Armenian:
հիդրոցեֆալիա
(hidrocʻefalia)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Azerbaijani:
hidrosefal
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Basque:
hidrozefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Belarusian:
гідрацэфалія
(hidracefalija)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Catalan:
hidrocefàlia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Cantonese:
腦積水 /脑积水
(nou5 zik1 seoi2)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Cantonese:
水腦症 /水脑症
(seoi2 nou5 zing3)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Mandarin:
腦積水 /脑积水
(nǎojīshuǐ)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Chinese Mandarin:
水腦症 /水脑症
(shuǐnǎozhèng)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Czech:
hydrocefalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Dutch:
hydrocefalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Dutch:
waterhoofd
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Finnish:
hydrokefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
French:
hydrocéphalie
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Georgian:
ჰიდროცეფალია
(hidrocepalia)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
German:
Hydrocephalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
German:
Hydrozephalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
German:
Wasserkopf
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Greek:
υδροκεφαλία
(ydrokefalía)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Ancient Greek:
ὑδροκέφαλον
(hudroképhalon)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Haitian Creole:
idwosefali
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Hebrew:
הִידְרוֹצֶפָלוּס
(hidrotsefalus)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Hindi:
जलशीर्ष
(jalśīrṣ)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Icelandic:
vatnshöfuð
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Ido:
hidrocefaleso
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Indonesian:
hidrosefalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Irish:
hiodracafalas
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Italian:
idrocefalo
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Italian:
idrocefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Japanese:
水頭症
(suitōshō)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Kannada:
ಜಲಮಸ್ತಿಷ್ಕ ರೋಗ
(jalamastiṣka rōga)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Kazakh:
ми шемені
(mi şemenı)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Kazakh:
гидроцефалия
(gidrosefaliä)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Korean:
수두증
(sudujeung)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Kyrgyz:
гидроцефалия
(gidrotsefaliya)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Latvian:
hidrocefālija
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Lithuanian:
hidrocefalija
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Lithuanian:
vandenė
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Odia:
ହାଇଡ୍ରୋସେଫାଲସ
(hāiḍrosephālasa)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Polish:
wodogłowie
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Polish:
wodomózgowie
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Polish:
hydrocefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Portuguese:
hidrocefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Romanian:
hidrocefalie
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Russian:
гидроцефа́лия
(gidrocefálija)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Russian:
водя́нка головно́го мо́зга
(vodjánka golovnóvo mózga)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Slovak:
hydrocefália
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Spanish:
hidrocefalia
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Swedish:
vattenskalle
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Swedish:
hydrocefalus
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Thai:
ภาวะโพรงสมองคั่งน้ํา
(paa-wá prohng sà-mŏng-kâng náam)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Turkish:
hidrosefali
— skull enlargement due to fluid
Ukrainian:
гідроцефалія
(hidrocefalija)
— skull enlargement due to fluid
