How to Pronounce Polydipsia
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Polydipsia Pronunciation
pol-ee-DIP-see-ah
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
pol
ee
DIP
stress here
see
ah
5 syllables
What is Polydipsia?
Excessive or abnormal thirst and fluid intake, a common symptom of diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, and hypercalcemia, as well as certain psychiatric conditions. In diabetes, it results from the body's attempt to compensate for fluid losses caused by glucose drawing water into the urine.
Questions About Polydipsia
How do you pronounce polydipsia?
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Polydipsia is pronounced pol-ee-DIP-see-ah. The stress falls on the third syllable, which is DIP. It's helpful to say it out loud slowly: POL-ee-DIP-see-ah, then speed it up while keeping that DIP syllable louder and longer.
What is the most common mistake people make when saying polydipsia?
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Many people put the stress on the first or second syllable, saying POL-ee-DIP-see-ah or pol-EE-DIP-see-ah. The correct way is to stress the third syllable: pol-ee-DIP-see-ah.
How do you break polydipsia into syllables?
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Polydipsia breaks into five syllables: pol-y-dip-si-a. When you say it normally, it sounds like pol-ee-DIP-see-ah, with the stress on DIP.
What do the word parts of polydipsia mean?
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Polydipsia comes from two Greek roots: 'poly-' means many or excessive, and 'dipsia' relates to thirst. Put together, the word literally means 'excessive thirst.' Understanding these roots helps you remember what the word describes.
What does polydipsia mean in plain English?
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Polydipsia simply means excessive thirst or drinking way more fluids than normal. It's when someone feels unusually thirsty and drinks much larger amounts of water or other drinks than a typical person would.
What are some related medical words that use the 'dipsia' root?
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Other medical words use the 'dipsia' root to describe thirst-related conditions. For example, 'adipsia' means the absence or loss of thirst, which is the opposite of polydipsia. Both words share the Greek root for thirst.
Can you use polydipsia in a sentence?
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Yes, here's an example: 'The patient reported polydipsia and said she had been drinking much more water than usual over the past few weeks.' This sentence correctly uses the word to describe a symptom without giving medical advice.
Is there a short abbreviation for polydipsia?
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Polydipsia doesn't have a widely used standard abbreviation in medical writing, so it's usually written or spoken out in full. The best way to reference it is to use the complete word: polydipsia.