avitaminosis

American

[ey-vahy-tuh-muh-noh-sis] / eɪˌvaɪ tə məˈnoʊ sɪs /

noun

Pathology.

any disease caused by a lack of vitamins.

avitaminosis British

/ ˌævɪˌtæmɪˈnəʊsɪs, æˌvɪtəmɪnˈəʊsɪs /

noun

any disease caused by a vitamin deficiency in the diet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

avitaminotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of avitaminosis

First recorded in 1910–15; a- ⁶ + vitamin + -osis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“When she left the camp she suffered from the usual starvation syndrome, avitaminosis and underweight. She had developed osteoarthritis of her dorsal spine, both knee joints and both feet. She showed marked restlessness with prolonged periods of depression, coupled with severe headaches and sleeplessness.”

From The New Yorker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023