Hypertext Webster Gateway: "hydrophobia"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Hydrophobia \Hy`dro*pho"bi*a\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; "y`dwr water +
? fear: cf. F. hydrophobie.] (Med.)
(a) An abnormal dread of water, said to be a symptom of
canine madness; hence:
(b) The disease caused by a bite form, or inoculation with
the saliva of, a rabid creature, of which the chief
symptoms are, a sense of dryness and construction in the
throat, causing difficulty in deglutition, and a marked
heightening of reflex excitability, producing convulsions
whenever the patient attempts to swallow, or is disturbed
in any way, as by the sight or sound of water; rabies;
canine madness. [Written also {hydrophoby}.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
hydrophobia
n 1: a fear of drinking liquids because swallowing is so painful
(as with persons having rabies)
2: an acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded
animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid
animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain
[syn: {rabies}, {lyssa}, {madness}]
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