symptom
USSIMP-tuhm/ˈsɪm(p)təm/
Pluralsymptoms
- 1A change in your body, like pain or fever, that shows you might be sick.
Like a warning light on a car that tells you something is wrong inside.
A high fever is often the first symptom of the flu.
She told the doctor about every symptom she had noticed that week.
Similarsign, indication
Note
- 2A sign that something else is going on, usually something bad.
Like a crack in a wall that shows a deeper problem in the building.
Long lines at the food bank are a symptom of a struggling economy.
His constant tiredness was a symptom of a bigger problem at work.
Similarsign, indication, manifestation, mark
Note
Practice
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Origin
It comes from the Greek word súmptōma, meaning a happening or a sign of disease. This came from words meaning "together" and "I fall."