a rare congenital deformity in which the hands or feet are attached close to the trunk, the limbs being grossly underdeveloped or absent. This condition was a side effect of the drug thalidomide taken during early pregnancy.
Origin:
late 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek phōkē 'seal' + melos 'limb'
phocomelia in other Oxford dictionaries
Definition of phocomelia in the US English dictionary
