chlorosis

[ klaw-roh-sis, kloh- ]

/ klɔˈroʊ sɪs, kloʊ- /

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See synonyms for chlorosis on Thesaurus.com

noun

an abnormally yellow color of plant tissues, resulting from partial failure to develop chlorophyll, caused by a nutrient deficiency or the activities of a pathogen.

Also called greensickness. Pathology. a benign type of iron-deficiency anemia in adolescent girls, marked by a pale yellow-green complexion.

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Origin of chlorosis

First recorded in 1675–85; chlor-¹ + -osis

OTHER WORDS FROM chlorosis

chlo·rot·ic

[klaw-rot-ik, kloh-], /klɔˈrɒt ɪk, kloʊ-/, adjectivechlo·rot·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chlorosis in a sentence

In chlorotic and anæmic cases the ferruginous preparations are of advantage.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
She was reared in the utmost poverty, was chlorotic, and did not menstruate till she was eighteen years old.
Fasting Girls|William Alexander Hammond
Very many of these patients are anmic; and chlorotic anmia seems specially to favor the occurrence of the affection.
Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it|Francis E. Anstie
A chlorotic girl, her cheeks unskilfully painted, brushes up to him with a careless38 "Geh Rudl, gib ma a Spreitzn."
Europe After 8:15|H. L. Mencken, George Jean Nathan and Willard Huntington Wright

Seedling 39.03-P8 became chlorotic but at the end of the season had not shown symptoms of the disease.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association

British Dictionary definitions for chlorosis

chlorosis

/ (klɔːˈrəʊsɪs) /

noun

Also called: greensickness pathol a disorder, formerly common in adolescent girls, characterized by pale greenish-yellow skin, weakness, and palpitation and caused by insufficient iron in the body

botany a deficiency of chlorophyll in green plants caused by mineral deficiency, lack of light, disease, etc, the leaves appearing uncharacteristically pale

Derived forms of chlorosis

chlorotic (klɔːˈrɒtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for chlorosis

C17: from chloro- + -osis

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

Scientific definitions for chlorosis

chlorosis

[ klə-rō′sĭs ]

The yellowing or whitening of normally green plant tissue because of loss or decreased production of chlorophyll, often as a result of disease, insufficient light, or inadequate sources of iron and magnesium.

chlorosis

Origin of chlorosis

OTHER WORDS FROM chlorosis

Words related to chlorosis

How to use chlorosis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chlorosis

Derived forms of chlorosis

Word Origin for chlorosis

Scientific definitions for chlorosis