symptom

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪmp.təm/ (American)

Origin

From Latin symptōma and Greek symptōma, meaning "happening, accident, that which befalls"

Meanings

1. (medicine) A physical or mental sign that indicates a disease or disorder
2. An indication or sign of something's existence or occurrence
3. A characteristic or feature indicating a condition or problem

Example Sentences

1. Fever and cough are common symptoms of the flu.
2. The company's falling profits were a symptom of poor management.
3. She showed no symptoms of depression until last month.
4. Increased crime rate is often a symptom of poverty in urban areas.

Related Words

• Forms:

  • symptomatic (adj) - showing symptoms of a disease
  • symptomatically (adv)
  • symptomatology (n) - the study of symptoms

• Synonyms:

  • indication
  • sign
  • manifestation
  • warning sign
  • signal

Memory Tricks

1. Break it down: "symp" (similar to sympathetic) + "tom" (like tomorrow) - When you sympathize with someone tomorrow, you notice their symptoms today
2. Think of "SIMple Problem TO Me" = SYMPTOM - symptoms are signs that make problems noticeable and simpler to identify
3. Remember that symptoms are like nature's "SOS messages" to tell you something's wrong