Agenesis

/ˌeɪdʒəˈnɛsɪs/ noun

Definition

The medical condition where an organ or body structure fails to develop or is completely absent from birth.

Etymology

From Greek a- (without) + genesis (origin, creation); first used in medical terminology in the 1800s to describe congenital malformations.

Kelly Says

Agenesis of the kidney occurs in about 1 in 1,000 people, but many never know it because one kidney does the work of two—showing how the body's redundancy can mask developmental absence.

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