phenylketonuria
/fɛnəlkitəˈnʊɹi.ə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.68 in modern English
27
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
5
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A metabolic disorder in which individuals lack the liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) which is needed to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Nash Hensley, of South Bend, Indiana, was born with two genetic disorders: achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder characterized by dwarfism, and phenylketonuria, or PKU, which causes the phenylalanine amino acid to build up in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. PKU is caused by a defect in the gene that produces the enzyme needed to break down phenylalanine, so Nash is required to live on a restricted, low-protein diet."
Etymology
Etymology tree English phenylketone Proto-Indo-European *h₁wers-der. Ancient Greek οὐρέω (ouréō) Ancient Greek οὖρον (oûron) Ancient Greek -ουρία (-ouría)bor. New Latin -ūriabor. English -uria English phenylketonuria From phenylketone + -uria.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fɛnəlkitəˈnʊɹi.ə/
- British English: /fɛnaɪ̯lkiːtəˈnjʊə̯ɹɪ.ə/