phocomelia

American  

[foh-koh-mee-lee-uh, -meel-yuh] / ˌfoʊ koʊˈmi li ə, -ˈmil yə /

Sometimes phocomely or phokomelia

noun

Pathology.

1. a usually congenital deformity of the extremities in which the limbs are abnormally short.

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phocomelia British  

/ fəʊˈkɒməlɪ, ˌfəʊkəʊˈmiːlɪə /

noun

1. a congenital deformity resulting from prenatal interference with the development of the fetal limbs, characterized esp by short stubby hands or feet attached close to the body

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Other Word Forms

• phocomelic adjective

Etymology

Origin of phocomelia

1890–95; < New Latin, equivalent to phōco-, combining form representing Greek phṓkē seal + -melia -melia

Example Sentences

The 17-year-old from Jammu district was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder, making her the world’s first - and only active - female archer to compete without arms.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

Finally, Audience’s “Loudermilk” nabbed the fifth seal for tapping Mat Fraser as Roger, a character with phocomelia.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2019

Thalidomide, developed to treat morning sickness, was made available in 49 countries for two years—despite early evidence that the drug might cause rare birth defects including phocomelia, the underdevelopment or absence of limbs.

From Slate • Dec. 13, 2016

The development of seal-like flippers, a condition known as phocomelia that previously affected an estimated 1 in 4 million infants, began to crop up by the dozens in many countries.

From Washington Post • Aug. 7, 2015

This condition, from its resemblance to the like state in the seal, is called phocomelia, or seal limbs.

From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.