Standard Lemma guide

ptosis

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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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtəʊ.sɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈtoʊ.sɪs/
  • rhymes with -əʊsɪs

1

noun

Meaning 1

The prolapse of a bodily organ, especially drooping of the eyelid or the breasts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

drooping of the upper eyelid caused by muscle paralysis and weakness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prolapse, prolapsus, descensus

Narrower terms: brow ptosis

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πτῶσις (ptôsis, “falling, fall”), from πίπτω (píptō, “to fall down”) + -σις (-sis, nominal suffix). First used in 1710.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: ptosi — the prolapse of a bodily organ
  • French: ptôse — the prolapse of a bodily organ
  • Russian: птоз (ptoz) — the prolapse of a bodily organ
  • Russian: опуще́ние (opuščénije) — the prolapse of a bodily organ
  • Russian: отвиса́ние (otvisánije) — the prolapse of a bodily organ
  • Spanish: ptosis — the prolapse of a bodily organ