atelectasis

Definition of Atelectasis in English :

1. atelectasis

collapse of an expanded lung (especially in infants); also failure of pulmonary alveoli to expand at birth

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Atelectasis

noun

1.

failure of the lungs to expand fully at birth

2.

collapse of the lung or a part of the lung, usually caused by bronchial obstruction

nounWord forms: plural ˌateˈlectaˌses (ˌætəˈlɛktəˌsiz ; atˌəlekˈtəsēzˌ)

the collapse of all or part of a lung

n. pl. at·e·lec·ta·ses (-sēz′)

1. The absence of gas from all or part of the lung, due to failure of expansion of the alveoli.

2. A congenital condition characterized by incomplete expansion of the lungs.