Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Emphysema \Em`phy*se"ma\, n. [NL., from Gr. ? inflation, fr. ?
to inflate; ? in + ? to blow: cf. F. emphys[`e]me.] (Med.)
A swelling produced by gas or air diffused in the cellular
tissue.
[1913 Webster]
Emphysema of the lungs, Pulmonary emphysema (Med.), a
common disease of the lungs in which the air cells are
distended and their partition walls ruptured by an
abnormal pressure of the air contained in them.
[1913 Webster]
emphysema
n 1: an abnormal condition of the lungs marked by decreased
respiratory function; associated with smoking or chronic
bronchitis or old age [syn: emphysema, pulmonaryemphysema]