deficiency

American  

[dih-fish-uhn-see] / dɪˈfɪʃ ən si /

Obsolete, deficience

noun

plural

deficiencies

1. the state of being deficient; lack; incompleteness; insufficiency.

   Synonyms:

   scarcity, paucity, inadequacy, shortage

2. the amount lacked; a deficit.

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deficiency British  

/ dɪˈfɪʃənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being deficient

2. a lack or insufficiency; shortage

3. another word for deficit

4. biology the absence of a gene or a region of a chromosome normally present

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Other Word Forms

• nondeficiency noun
• predeficiency noun

Etymology

Origin of deficiency

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēficientia, Latin dēficient- (stem of dēficiēns ); deficient, -ency

Example Sentences

The study, titled 'Caspase- 2 deficiency drives pathogenic liver polyploidy and increases age- associated hepatocellular carcinoma in mice', was published in Science Advances.

From Science Daily

It is unclear whether there is an association between vitamin deficiencies and endometriosis.

From Salon

“Army officials acknowledge that they may discover deficiencies during testing that require modifications,” the report said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Supplements went from a means of treating diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies in the 1900s to lifestyle products that are now the backbone of a $70 billion industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Tuesday the FDA said it was in fact approving use of leucovorin for a rare condition called cerebral folate deficiency but not for autism.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dearth
• defect
• failing
• failure
• fault
• flaw
• frailty
• glitch
• insufficiency
• lack
• scarcity
• shortage
• shortcoming
• weakness