What does dropsied mean?
Dropsied is an old-fashioned adjective meaning afflicted with dropsy, a historical condition marked by abnormal fluid accumulation and swelling. In modern dictionaries it is chiefly a literary or historical word, so its appearance often signals an older text, a deliberately archaic voice, or a comparison with a once-common disease. Literally, it describes a body or part swollen by fluid; in extended or figurative use, it can suggest something inflated, bloated, or overloaded. The form is built on the now equally dated noun dropsy, with the ending -ed producing an adjective. Dropsied is therefore not another name for the disease itself: “the dropsied patient” names a person who has the condition, while “dropsy” names the condition. The word survives chiefly because vivid descriptions of physical enlargement, and occasionally metaphorically inflated prose, have given it a distinctive archaic flavor. It is most useful to readers encountering it in older literature, where a straightforward modern paraphrase is usually “swollen from fluid buildup.”
adjectiveAfflicted with dropsy, a condition marked by an abnormal accumulation of fluid that causes swelling. By extension, it can describe something swollen, bloated, or inflated.
- Afflicted with dropsy or affected by abnormal fluid accumulation and swelling.
- In extended or figurative use, swollen, bloated, or inflated with liquid or excess.
"The old physician examined the dropsied patient and prescribed a strict regimen of rest and careful diet."
"The physician could do little for the dropsied farmer beyond limiting his salt and fluids."
"Her description of the novel's bloated plot as dropsied was sharp but unmistakably metaphorical."
Dropsied preserves the language of an age when a common diagnosis could leave the body visibly swollen with fluid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dropsied come from?
The adjective was formed in Middle English by adding -ed to dropsy. Dropsy came through Old French from Latin, ultimately from Greek roots associated with water, and its cognate forms include dropsical, hydropic, and hydropsy.
How dropsied is actually used
The word is now rare outside historical texts, literary imitation, and deliberately archaic writing. It may sound dated or theatrical, and figurative uses emphasize excessive swelling or inflation.
Easily confused with dropsied
Dropsy is the historical noun for the disease characterized by abnormal fluid accumulation, while dropsied is the adjective describing someone or something affected by it.