What is a symptom?

Question

Define symptom

Answer 1

1. any phenomenon or circumstance accompanying something and serving as evidence of it.
2. a sign or indication of something.
3. Pathology. a phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.

Answer 2

A sign or an indication of disorder or disease, especially when experienced by an individual as a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance. i.e. The most common symptoms of a cataract are:

Cloudy or blurry vision.
Problems with light. These can include headlights that seem too bright at night; glare from lamps or very bright sunlight; or a halo around lights.
Colors that seem faded.
Poor night vision.
Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the cataract grows).
Frequent changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Answer 3

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) -

1. any phenomenon or circumstance accompanying something and serving as evidence of it.
2. a sign or indication of something.
3. Pathology. a phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.


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[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < LL symptōma < Gk sýmptōma occurrence, that which falls together with something, equiv. to sym- sym- + ptō- (var. s. of píptein to fall) + -ma n. suffix of result]


—Synonyms 2. signal, token, mark.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source symp·tom (smtm, smp-) Pronunciation Key
n.
A characteristic sign or indication of the existence of something else: “The affair is a symptom of a global marital disturbance; it is not the disturbance itself” (Maggie Scarf). See Synonyms at sign.
A sign or an indication of disorder or disease, especially when experienced by an individual as a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance.


[Middle English sinthoma, symptom of a disease, from Medieval Latin sinthma, from Late Latin symptma, from Greek sumptma, sumptmat-, a happening, symptom of a disease, from sumpiptein, sumpt-, to coincide : sun-, syn- + piptein, to fall; see pet- in Indo-European Roots.]
symptom·less adj.

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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source
symp·tom (smtm, smp-)
n.

An indication of disorder or disease, especially when experienced by an individual as a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance. Also called sign.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source
Main Entry: symp·tom
Pronunciation: 'sim(p)-t&m
Function: noun
: subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance observed by the patient ; broadly : something that indicates the presence of a physical disorder —compare SIGN 2

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
WordNet - Cite This Source
symptom

n 1: (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease 2: anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source
symptom

symptom: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB