emphysema

UK: /ˌɛmfɪˈsiːmə/

US: /ˌɛmfəˈsimə, -ˈzi-/

US: (em′fə sē′mə, -zē′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

em•phy•se•ma /ˌɛmfəˈsimə, -ˈzi-/   n. [uncountable]

1. Pathology a disease of the lungs in which there is difficulty in breathing due to abnormal swelling of the air spaces.

em•phy•se•mic, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

em•phy•se•ma  (em′fə sē′mə, -zē′-), n. [Pathol.]

1. Pathology a chronic, irreversible disease of the lungs characterized by abnormal enlargement of air spaces in the lungs accompanied by destruction of the tissue lining the walls of the air spaces.
2. Pathology any abnormal distention of an organ, or part of the body, with air or other gas.

• Greek emphý̄sēma inflation, equivalent. to em- em-² + phȳsē- (variant stem of phȳsân to blow) + -ma noun, nominal suffix denoting result of action
• Neo-Latin
• 1655–65;

em•phy•sem•a•tous  (em′fə sem′ə təs, -sē′mə-, -zem′ə-, -zē′mə-), adj.  em′phy•se′mic, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

emphysema / ˌɛmfɪˈsiːmə/ noun

1. Also called: pulmonary emphysema a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are grossly enlarged, causing breathlessness and wheezing
2. the abnormal presence of air in a tissue or part

Etymology: 17th Century: from New Latin, from Greek emphusēma, a swelling up, from emphusan to inflate, from phusan to blow