noun

das Symptom, -e

symptom

Ein Anzeichen für eine bestimmte gesundheitliche Störung oder Krankheit, das der Betroffene an seinem Körper wahrnimmt.

Definition & meaning

The word Symptom refers to an indicator or a sign of a particular condition, illness, or problem.

  1. Medical context: It is an experience or physical change that a patient notices, which indicates the presence of a disease or medical condition (e.g., fever, pain, or nausea).
  2. General context: It can also refer to a sign or an outward manifestation of a deeper-seated problem or a trend (e.g., "violence is a symptom of societal tension").

Grammar & Word origin

  • Grammar: It is a neuter noun (das Symptom). The plural form is die Symptome.
  • Origin: The word originates from the Greek sýmptōma, meaning "a happening" or "a chance occurrence," derived from sympíptein, which means "to happen together" or "to fall together." It entered German through Latin (symptoma).

Synonyms & antonyms

  • Synonyms:

    • Anzeichen (sign/indication)
    • Krankheitserscheinung (manifestation of a disease)
    • Merkmal (feature/characteristic)
    • Indiz (clue/indication)
  • Antonyms:

    • Ursache (cause - in the context of disease, the root cause vs. the surface symptom)
    • Befund (medical finding - while related, a Befund is often what a doctor observes, whereas a Symptom is what the patient feels)

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Examples

Das Symptom ist nicht spezifisch.noun

The symptom is not specific.

Ein häufiges Symptom dieser Krankheit ist Fieber.noun

A common symptom of this disease is fever.

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