hydrocele

English

Etymology

From French hydrocèle or Latin hydrocēlē, from Ancient Greek ὑδροκήλη (hudrokḗlē), from ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”) + κήλη (kḗlē, “tumour”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪdɹəsiːl/

Noun

hydrocele (plural hydroceles)

1. An abnormal build-up of fluids at a site in the body, especially in the membranes around a testicle.
   • 2003, Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason, Penguin, published 2004, page 205:

     For while he refers to his gout (a good disease), he does not mention the complaint which indirectly killed him, his hydrocele – an enlargement of the scrotum.

Derived terms

• hydrocelectomy