deficiency disease

noun

Pathology.

1. any illness associated with an insufficient supply of one or more essential dietary constituents.

deficiency disease

noun

1. med any condition, such as pellagra, beriberi, or scurvy, produced by a lack of vitamins or other essential substances Compare avitaminosis

2. botany any disease caused by lack of essential minerals

Word History and Origins

Origin of deficiency disease¹

First recorded in 1910–15