microcephalous

C2+ Topic:Health & Medicine
US /ˌmaɪkroʊˈsɛfələs/ UK /ˌmaɪkrəʊˈsɛfələs/
adj

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    having an abnormally small head, usually as a result of microcephaly; also used comparatively in anatomy

    The specimen was described as microcephalous relative to other members of the genus.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · having an abnormally small... microcephalic
Opposites
macrocephalousnormocephalic
Word family
Derived forms microcephaly
Related forms microcephaliccephalicmacrocephalyhead circumference

Etymology

A scientific formation from micro- ('small') + -cephalous ('headed'). Both elements derive from Greek: mikros, 'small,' and kephale, 'head.' Microcephalic is now the more usual medical adjective, while microcephalous also occurs in older medical, anatomical, and zoological writing.

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