rickets

American  

[rik-its] / ˈrɪk ɪts /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease of childhood, characterized by softening of the bones as a result of inadequate intake of vitamin D and insufficient exposure to sunlight, also associated with impaired calcium and phosphorus metabolism.

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rickets British  

/ ˈrɪkɪts /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) pathol a disease mainly of children, characterized by softening of developing bone, and hence bow legs, malnutrition, and enlargement of the liver and spleen, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D

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rickets Scientific  

/ rĭk′ĭts /

1. A bone disease seen mostly in children, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, usually as a result of inadequate dietary intake or lack of exposure to sunlight. This deficiency causes decreased calcium absorption from the intestine and abnormalities in formation and mineralization of skeletal bone, resulting in defective bone growth and deformity.

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Etymology

Origin of rickets

First recorded in 1635–45; origin uncertain

Explanation

Rickets is a childhood disease that's caused by a lack of vitamin D. Rickets results in malformation of the bones. There are many diseases that result from poor nutrition, and rickets is one of these. If a child doesn't get enough vitamin D through food and sunlight, his bones can become curved, soft, or brittle. Someone who is bowlegged — whose legs curve out — may have had rickets as a child. Rickets is less common these days, due to better nutrition. The word rickets is thought to be a version of the Greek word for "inflammation of the spine," rhachitis.

Example Sentences

Until then, children in the area generally only saw doctors in dire emergencies; rickets, anemia and other consequences of malnutrition were rampant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Bembridge grew up on a council estate in Speedwell, and said he was worried having rickets and multiple operations to realign his leg bones would affect his employment.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Others might say, ‘Those aren’t his hips. That’s his pelvis. Maybe he had rickets or polio as a child.’

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

She says it has been known for many years that there was an increase in rickets, a childhood bone disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, in 18th and 19th Century Europe.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024

He needed vitamin D for the boy or he was going to get rickets.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy