# cri du chat syndrome

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A rare genetic disorder identified by the catlike cry of the infant, caused by an absence of some genetic material on the fifth chromosome.

## Etymology
From French cri du chat (“cry of the cat; cat's cry”). First described and coined by French pediatrician and geneticist Jérôme Lejeune in 1963.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cri-du-chat-syndrome