What does hydropsy mean?
Hydropsy is an old medical name for edema, a condition in which excess fluid accumulates in the tissues and produces swelling. It was especially associated with the historical condition called dropsy, which could involve pronounced, generalized swelling. The term belongs to earlier medical language, when the body's fluids and their balance were central to explanations of illness. In contemporary medicine, edema is the usual general term, while hydropsy may appear in historical texts or descriptions of old case records. The word is useful chiefly for understanding medical history and period writing rather than for current diagnosis. Its form also illustrates the long-standing influence of Greek vocabulary on English medical terminology, especially words built around hydro-, meaning water.
nounAn archaic medical term for edema, especially the generalized swelling historically called dropsy.
- An old medical term for edema or the accumulation of fluid causing swelling, especially generalized swelling associated with dropsy.
"The physician attributed her worsening hydropsy to an imbalance of the body's fluids."
"Hydropsy was once regarded as a disease in which the body's fluids were out of balance."
"The case notes describe a patient with severe abdominal hydropsy and marked swelling of the legs."
The plural is rare because the word itself is archaic.
"The physician's notes mention cases of hydropsies with marked fluid retention."
A medical name for what was once called dropsy, hydropsy points to the central role water played in the older understanding of swollen bodies.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hydropsy come from?
Hydropsy comes from Greek hydropsy, a term associated with hydor, meaning water, and dropsy, referring to a swelling or dropping of fluid. The English form was used especially in the language of medicine and became a general historical term for dropsy. Its relatives hydro-, hydrography, and hydrology continue the same Greek root in modern English.
How hydropsy is actually used
This is an archaic medical term and is rarely used in contemporary clinical writing. Modern medical usage generally prefers edema or, in a historical context, dropsy.