Word of the Day

: May 9, 2010

elephantiasis

noun el-uh-fun-TYE-uh-sis

What It Means

1 : enlargement and thickening of tissues; specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms

2 : an undesirable usually enormous growth, enlargement, or overdevelopment

elephantiasis in Context

"Their feature film debuts with stylish efficiency until they succumb to the effects elephantiasis that overtakes virtually every Hollywood action film by the finale." (Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer [North Carolina], February 22, 2008)

Did You Know?

In Latin "elephantiasis" referred to a kind of leprosy in which the skin takes on the appearance of an elephant's hide. The word is still used in the medical field for various infectious skin diseases in which the affected part becomes grossly enlarged. The first known figurative use of "elephantiasis" is by English author George Meredith in a letter dated December 22, 1866. In that letter, he ribs an acquaintance for his exaggerated description of the size of a mackerel, telling him that he has "become the victim of a kind of mental elephantiasis."