decompression sickness

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

decompres′sion sick′ness, [Pathol.]

1. Pathology aeroembolism (def. 2).

• 1940–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

decompression sickness, decompression illness noun

1. a disorder characterized by severe pain in muscles and joints, cramp, and difficulty in breathing, caused by a sudden and sustained decrease in air pressure, resulting in the deposition of nitrogen bubbles in the tissues