Relating to or affected by elephantiasis, a severe disease causing massive enlargement of limbs and skin.
From Greek 'elephantias' (elephant-like), derived from 'elephas' (elephant), referring to the elephantine appearance the disease produces in its advanced stages.
The term was used centuries ago to describe a disease whose cause wasn't understood until the 1870s—parasitic nematode worms transmitted by mosquitoes—making it one of the first diseases where a parasite, vector, and human host connection was established!
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