sudden infant death syndrome

noun

, Pathology.

1. death from the sudden cessation of breathing (apnea) of a seemingly healthy infant, almost always during sleep, sometimes traceable to a chronic oxygen deficiency. : SIDS

sudden infant death syndrome

noun

1. a technical term for cot death SIDS

sudden infant death syndrome

/ sŭd′n /

1. A fatal condition that affects sleeping infants that are less than one year old and appear to be healthy. It is characterized by a sudden cessation of breathing and is thought to be caused by a defect in the central nervous system.
2. Also called crib death SIDS

sudden infant death syndrome

1. Also called crib death, the deaths of sleeping infants less than a year old for unexplained reasons.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sudden infant death syndrome¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

She had also lost a child to sudden infant death syndrome three years earlier.

From Washington Post