: the presence of excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the blood

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from hyper- + Greek kapnos smoke; probably akin to Lithuanian kvapas breath

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypercapnia was in 1908

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hypercapnia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypercapnia. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

hypercapnia

noun
: the presence of an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood

More from Merriam-Webster on hypercapnia

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!