elephantiasis
noun
el·e·phan·ti·a·sis ˌe-lə-fən-ˈtī-ə-səs 
-ˌfan-
plural elephantiases ˌe-lə-fən-ˈtī-ə-ˌsēz
-ˌfan-
1
: enlargement and thickening of tissues (as from chronic lymphedema)
specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatic vessels by filarial worms (especially Wuchereria bancrofti)
2
: an undesirable usually enormous growth, enlargement, or overdevelopment
elephantiasis of the imagination
Did you know?
In Latin elephantiasis referred to a kind of leprosy in which the skin takes on the appearance of an elephant's hide. The word is still used in the medical field for various infectious skin diseases in which the affected part becomes grossly enlarged. The first known figurative use of "elephantiasis" is by English author George Meredith in a letter dated December 22, 1866. In that letter, he ribs an acquaintance for his exaggerated description of the size of a mackerel, telling him that he has "become the victim of a kind of mental elephantiasis."
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In another example, which Doyle and other students witnessed, a patient came in to see Bell for treatment for early-stage elephantiasis. 
Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2022 But the film suffers from a different condition, an emotional elephantiasis that is inexorable and ultimately terminal. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2021 He was recognized by the World Health Organization for his work in the Cook Islands helping stamp out the tropical disease lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. Nick Perry, Star Tribune, 5 Sep. 2020 The history of Phoenix, from outpost through oasis to elephantiasis, is written in channeled water. Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 In news from around the world: Vienna unveils plans to build a 25-story wooden skyscraper; the Indian government provides free pills to prevent elephantiasis; and more. Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 1 May 2015 Though most infected people show no symptoms, some can go on to develop lymphedema (tissue swelling), elephantiasis (skin and tissue thickening), and such scrotal swelling, called hydrocele. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2019 The worm that caused Hannah’s elephantiasis was also once widespread. The Economist, 23 June 2018 The team believes Nyan htoo had a condition called elephantiasis, in which a person (or, in this case, an animal) experiences swelling of body parts to the point of disfiguration. Amy B Wang, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Oct. 2017 See More
Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2022 But the film suffers from a different condition, an emotional elephantiasis that is inexorable and ultimately terminal. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2021 He was recognized by the World Health Organization for his work in the Cook Islands helping stamp out the tropical disease lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. Nick Perry, Star Tribune, 5 Sep. 2020 The history of Phoenix, from outpost through oasis to elephantiasis, is written in channeled water. Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 In news from around the world: Vienna unveils plans to build a 25-story wooden skyscraper; the Indian government provides free pills to prevent elephantiasis; and more. Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 1 May 2015 Though most infected people show no symptoms, some can go on to develop lymphedema (tissue swelling), elephantiasis (skin and tissue thickening), and such scrotal swelling, called hydrocele. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2019 The worm that caused Hannah’s elephantiasis was also once widespread. The Economist, 23 June 2018 The team believes Nyan htoo had a condition called elephantiasis, in which a person (or, in this case, an animal) experiences swelling of body parts to the point of disfiguration. Amy B Wang, Alaska Dispatch News, 27 Oct. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin, a kind of leprosy, from Greek, from elephant-, elephas
First Known Use
1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
elephantiasis
noun
el·e·phan·ti·a·sis ˌel-ə-fən-ˈtī-ə-səs -ˌfan-
-ˌfan- plural elephantiases -ˌsēz
: enlargement and thickening of tissues (as from chronic lymphedema)
specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms of the genus Wuchereria (W. bancrofti) or a related genus (Brugia malayi)