syndrome

Definition

A recognizable pattern of signs, symptoms and/or behaviours, especially of a disease or medical or psychological condition.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin syndrome, from Ancient Greek συνδρομή (sundromḗ, “concurrence of symptoms, concourse”), from σύνδρομος (súndromos, “running together”), from συν- (sun-, “with”) + δρόμος (drómos, “running, course”).

Example Sentences

• "Down syndrome; acquired immune deficiency syndrome; restless-leg syndrome; battered-wife syndrome"
• "A “zone of rarity” emerges when symptoms cluster neatly into syndromes and interforms are uncommon, although not altogether absent. Fuzzy boundaries and interforms are a special problem for PTSD […]"
• "Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents."