hyperthermia

noun

hy·​per·​ther·​mia ˌhī-pər-ˈthər-mē-ə How to pronounce hyperthermia (audio)
: exceptionally high fever especially when induced artificially for therapeutic purposes
hyperthermic adjective

Examples of hyperthermia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Survivors of hyperthermia, the scientific term for having a severely high body temperature, may still suffer from permanent brain damage. Ray Stern, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024 One week ago Friday, 36-year-old Ronald Silver II, who had been collecting trash on a day when temperatures broke the 100-degree mark, collapsed on a door stoop begging for water and died of hyperthermia. Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2024 The ability to stay cool in the face of many obstacles will prove invaluable as the world warms and the risk of hyperthermia, or heat stroke, increases. Timmy Broderick, STAT, 16 Aug. 2024 This was the excruciating fate of Ronald Silver II last week, a Baltimore City Department of Public Works worker who collapsed and died from hyperthermia after laboring all day in 99-degree heat. Nikki Gamer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hyperthermia 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from hyper- + therm- + -ia

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hyperthermia was in 1887

Dictionary Entries Near hyperthermia

Cite this Entry

“Hyperthermia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperthermia. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

hyperthermia

noun
hy·​per·​ther·​mia ˌhī-pər-ˈthər-mē-ə How to pronounce hyperthermia (audio)
1
: elevated temperature of the body (as that occurring in heatstroke) see malignant hyperthermia
2
: the artificial heating of all or part of the body (as in diathermy) for therapeutic purposes (as to treat cancer)
hyperthermic adjective

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