How to Pronounce Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome Pronunciation
GREEG sef-ah-loh-pol-ee-sin-DAK-tih-lee SIN-drohm
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
GREEG sef
ah
loh
pol
ee
sin
DAK
stress here
tih
lee SIN
drohm
10 syllables
What is Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome?
A rare condition caused by mutations in the GLI3 gene, characterized by postaxial polydactyly (extra little fingers/toes) combined with preaxial polysyndactyly (fused extra thumb-side digits) and macrocephaly with a broad forehead and widely spaced eyes. Intelligence is usually normal, and it is allelic with the more severe Pallister-Hall syndrome.
Questions About Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome
How do you say Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome?
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Say it like this: GREEG sef-ah-loh-pol-ee-sin-DAK-tih-lee SIN-drohm. The stress (or emphasis) falls on the first part—GREEG—and then again on DAK in the middle of the longer word. It's a lot of syllables, but breaking it into chunks makes it easier to tackle.
What syllables make up this term?
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Break it down like this: Greig (1) + ceph-a-lo (3) + pol-y (2) + syn-dac-tyl-y (4) + syn-drome (2). That's 12 syllables total! Saying it slowly, one chunk at a time, helps you get comfortable with the full name.
Which syllable gets the stress, and what's a common mistake?
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The main stress lands on GREEG at the beginning and DAK in the middle (sin-DAK-tih-lee). A common mistake is putting too much emphasis on the first syllable of "cephalopolysyndactyly" instead of waiting for the DAK sound—just remember to keep your voice up when you hit DAK.
What do the word parts mean?
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"Cephalo" comes from Greek and means "head," "poly" means "many," "syn" means "together," "dactyly" refers to "fingers or toes," and "syndrome" means "a group of signs that go together." So the term literally describes a head-related condition with multiple fused digits.
Is there a shorter way to say or write this?
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Doctors sometimes shorten it to GCPS (pronounced letter by letter: G-C-P-S), which is much quicker to say in a medical setting. You'll also hear it called just "Greig syndrome" when doctors are being less formal.
What does this syndrome mean in plain language?
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In simple terms, it's a rare condition that affects how hands, feet, and the head develop. The name points to the main features: extra or fused digits (fingers and toes) combined with head-related changes.
What other medical words share the "cephalo" root?
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You'll see "cephalo" in words like "hydrocephalus" (fluid in the brain) and "microcephaly" (a smaller-than-typical head). Learning "cephalo" means "head" helps you understand any medical word with that prefix.
Can you use this term in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome is a genetic condition that was named after the doctor who first described it." You might also hear it in a sentence like: "The patient was diagnosed with GCPS after imaging and genetic testing."