elephantiasis
/ˌɛlɪfənˈtaɪəsɪs/noun
elephantiasis is spelled E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T-I-A-S-I-S: 13 letters and 6 syllables. It appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, elephantiasis means “A complication of chronic filariasis, in which nematode worms block the lymphatic vessels, usually in the legs or scrotum, causing extreme…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of elephantiasis is elephantiases.
How many letters and syllables are in elephantiasis?
| Letters | 13: E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T-I-A-S-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 21 million words; the 139,999th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is elephantiasis?
Elephantiasis appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce elephantiasis?
- /ˌɛlɪfənˈtaɪəsɪs/
Elephantiasis has 6 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-elephantiasis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of elephantiasis
- elephantiases plural
- elephantitis
- elephantitus
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elephantiasis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A complication of chronic filariasis, in which nematode worms block the lymphatic vessels, usually in the legs or scrotum, causing extreme enlargement of the infected area.
- 2
obsoleteSynonym of leprosy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elephantiasis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense disease:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | éléphantiasis |
| German | Elefantenkrankheit |
| Portuguese | elefantíase |
| Spanish | elefantiasis |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does elephantiasis come from?
From Latin elephantiasis or directly from Ancient Greek ἐλεφᾰντῐ́ᾱσῐς (elephăntĭ́āsĭs).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).