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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Due to overheating, and likely stress, she is said to have died of hyperthermia during Sputnik 2’s fourth orbit of Earth. Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 An autopsy showed the young girl died from hyperthermia, or overheating, according to WPTA. Sean Neumann, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024 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 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 21 Jan. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on hyperthermia

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