hypercapnia

noun

hy·per·cap·nia ˌhī-pər-ˈkap-nē-ə

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

hypercapnic

ˌhī-pər-ˈkap-nik

adjective

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

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hypercapnia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypercapnia. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

hypercapnia

noun

hy·per·cap·nia -ˈkap-nē-ə

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

hypercapnic

-nik

adjective

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Popular in Wordplay

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

hypercapnia

noun

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on hypercapnia

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

vernal

Popular in Grammar & Usage