Hirsutism

Having an overabundance of hair. A person with hirsutism is said to be hirsute (pronounced hir-suit). Hirsutism is the Roman way of saying hairy. It comes from the Latin "hirsutus" meaning bristly or rude.

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Presence of excessive bodily and facial hair, usually in a male pattern, especially in women; may be present in normal adults as an expression of an ethnic characteristic or may develop in children or adults as the result of androgen excess due to tumors or drugs, or nonandrogenetic drugs. SYN: hirsuties, pilosis. [L. hirsutus, shaggy]

- constitutional h. mild to moderate degree of h. present in an individual exhibiting otherwise normal endocrine and reproductive function.

- idiopathic h. h. of uncertain origin in women, who may additionally exhibit menstrual abnormalities and infertility.

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hir·sut·ism 'hər-sə-.tiz-əm, 'hi(ə)r- n excessive growth of hair of normal or abnormal distribution: HYPERTRICHOSIS

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n.

the presence of coarse pigmented hair on the face, chest, upper back, or abdomen in a female as a result of hyperandrogenism (excessive production of androgen). See also virilization.

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hir·sut·ism (hurґsoot-iz-əm) abnormal hairiness, especially an adult male pattern of hair distribution in women. Cf. hypertrichosis.

Hirsutism of the abdomen in a woman.