Compression or crushing of the brain tissue, often due to trauma, bleeding, or pressure buildup.
From Greek enkephalos (brain) + thlipsis (pressure, crushing). This rare medical term combines the brain prefix with a Greek root meaning to squeeze or compress, creating a term for a serious neurological condition.
This is one of those jaw-breaking medical terms that sounds intimidating but perfectly describes something tragic—it's what happens to the brain after severe head trauma, and the fact that ancient Greek doctors had a word-part ready to describe it shows they understood head injuries millennia ago.
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