Word.ws English Dictionary

emphysema

UK/ˌɛmfɪˈsiːmə//ˌɛmfɪˈsimə/

emphysema noun: an abnormal accumulation of air or other gas in tissues, most commonly the lungs. Also the ellipsis of pulmonary emphysema.

Noun

emphysema (countable and uncountable, plural emphysemas or emphysemata)

  1. An abnormal accumulation of air or other gas in tissues, most commonly the lungs.
    Synonyms:
    pneumatosis

Also used as

emphysema is also the ellipsis of pulmonary emphysema.

Synonyms of emphysema

Forms of emphysema

pluralemphysemas
pluralemphysemata

Origin of emphysema

Multiple origins. Partially from post-Classical Latin emphȳsēma (“swelling”), from Ancient Greek ἐμφῡ́σημα (emphū́sēma), from ἐμφῡσάω (emphūsáō, “to puff up”). Also borrowed from Middle French emphysema, from the same Latin source; compare French emphysème. Attested from the late 16th century.

Words formed from emphysema

Phrases with emphysema

Words that rhyme with emphysema

14 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about emphysema

What does emphysema mean?
Emphysema means an abnormal accumulation of air or other gas in tissues, most commonly the lungs.
What part of speech is emphysema?
Emphysema is a noun.
How do you pronounce emphysema?
Emphysema is pronounced /ˌɛmfɪˈsiːmə/ (UK).
What is the plural of emphysema?
The plural of emphysema is emphysemas.

Words near emphysema in the dictionary

  1. emphatics
  2. emphlysis
  3. emphractic
  4. emphraxis
  5. emphrensied
  6. emphysema
  7. emphysemas
  8. emphysemata
  9. emphysematic
  10. emphysematous
  11. emphysematous cystitis

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: emphysema (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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