agenesis

American  

[ey-jen-uh-sis] / eɪˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /

Also agenesia

noun

Pathology.

1. absence of or failed development of a body part.

2. sterility; impotence; barrenness.

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agenesis British  

/ ˌeɪdʒəˈnɛtɪk, eɪˈdʒɛnɪsɪs /

noun

1. (of an animal or plant) imperfect development

2. impotence or sterility

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Other Word Forms

• agenetic adjective

Etymology

Origin of agenesis

From New Latin, dating back to 1850–55; a- ⁶, genesis

Example Sentences

Born with sacral agenesis, a physical condition that makes her body different, Jones is excluded from “easy beauty,” Kate Tuttle wrote in The New York Times.

From New York Times • May 8, 2023

Cats Protection's senior field veterinary officer Fiona Brockbank said it appeared to be a case of agenesis, the failure of an organ to develop, which she and her colleagues had never seen before.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2022

Tooth agenesis, or missing teeth, is “relatively common,” said Tim Wright, a professor at the University of North Carolina’s Adams School of Dentistry.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2022

She has congenital sacral agenesis, meaning she was born with no sacrum.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2022

An estimated 1 in 750 is born with one kidney, a condition called renal agenesis that's more common in men.

From Chicago Tribune • Oct. 23, 2014