Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kernicterus

/kɝˈnɪktəɹəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.03 in modern English

Syllables: ker-nicterus
IPA: /kɝˈnɪktəɹəs/

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Damage to the brain centres of infants caused by increased levels of unconjugated-indirect bilirubin which is free (not bound to albumin).

Uncountable

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kernikterus, from Kern (“nucleus”) + Ikterus (“icterus, jaundice”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kɝˈnɪktəɹəs/
British English: /kɜːˈnɪktəɹəs/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

Kernikterus (alternative)

Derived Forms

kernicteric

Synonyms

bilirubinencephalopathy

Questions

How do you pronounce kernicterus?: The recorded pronunciation is /kɝˈnɪktəɹəs/.
What does kernicterus mean?: Damage to the brain centres of infants caused by increased levels of unconjugated-indirect bilirubin which is free (not bound to albumin).
Where does kernicterus come from?: Borrowed from German Kernikterus, from Kern (“nucleus”) + Ikterus (“icterus, jaundice”).

How to pronounce kernicterus

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kɝˈnɪktəɹəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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