Synonym.com 2001-2016 Demand Media, all rights reserved. Database is based on WordNet 3.0, a lexical database for the English language.
The term Dowagerâs Hump originated from the Greek word âkyphosisâ which means a hump, and dowager for its technical term meaning âdignified elderly womanâ. A physical deformity resulting in a condition of over-curvature of the thoracic spine (upper back) of our body.
Dowagers humps (Kyphosis) are usually caused by wedge fractures. In this kind of fracture the front of a vertebra collapses. Since the back of the vertebra remains intact, the vertebra 'tips' forward and the spine becomes slightly misaligned and the section above the fracture tips forward making the back curve slightly.