syndrome
noun
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Combining its two Greek roots, syndrome means basically "running together". So when diagnosing a condition or disease, doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms existing together. As long as a set of symptoms remains mysterious, it may be referred to as a specific syndrome. But if that name is used for a while, it may become the condition's permanent name, even after an underlying cause has been found. So today we have Down syndrome, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, sick building syndrome, and many more. And since mental conditions often turn out to have physical causes, syndrome is used in psychology as well as in medicine.
Examples of syndrome in a Sentence
Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 7 Aug. 2024
Farrell’s 20-year-old son James has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 7 Aug. 2024
Max came home from Children’s Hospital of Orange County on Saturday after responding favorably to treatments for Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, and his prognosis for a full recovery appears good.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2024
Metabolic syndrome is a group of medical conditions—including large waist circumference, high fasting blood sugar, and high blood pressure—that increase your risk for certain diseases.
—Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for syndrome 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'syndrome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Syndrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syndrome. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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syndrome
noun
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