jaundice

/ˈdʒɔndəs/

/ˈdʒɒndɪs/

Other forms: jaundiced; jaundicing

Jaundice is a medical condition that causes a slight yellowing of the skin. Many newborn babies are diagnosed with slight jaundice and need to spend time in the sunlight every day for a few weeks.

A patient with jaundice looks a little yellow, a condition that's caused by excess pigmentation due to deficiencies in the liver or bile duct. One common medical cause of jaundice is hepatitis, a liver condition. Another meaning of jaundice is the distortion of opinions due especially to envy or resentment: "I hope my winning another acting award won't jaundice your feelings about being in plays." The Latin root is galbinus, "greenish yellow," a color once associated with bitterness and envy.

Definitions of jaundice

1. noun

   yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood; can be a symptom of gallstones or liver infection or anemia
   synonyms: icterus

   types:

   icterus neonatorum, jaundice of the newborn, physiological jaundice of the newborn

   yellowish appearance in newborn infants; usually subsides spontaneously

   kernicterus

   an abnormal accumulation of bile pigment in the brain and other nerve tissue; causes yellow staining and tissue damage

   type of:

   symptom

   (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
2. verb

   affect with, or as if with, jaundice
   type of:

   affect

   act physically on; have an effect upon
3. noun

   a rough and bitter manner
   synonyms: acerbity, acrimony, bitterness, tartness, thorniness

   type of:

   disagreeableness

   an ill-tempered and offensive disposition
4. verb

   distort adversely
   “Jealousy had jaundiced his judgment”

   type of:

   deform, distort, strain

   alter the shape of (something) by stress