farmer's lung

American

noun

a lung disorder caused by inhalation of moldy hay dust, marked by shortness of breath, dry cough, and weight loss.

farmer's lung British

noun

inflammation of the alveoli of the lungs caused by an allergic response to fungal spores in hay

"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

Etymology

Origin of farmer's lung

First recorded in 1940–45

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 he was 10, his family moved from the cottage to subsidized housing in Cassington after his father contracted chronic farmer’s lung, which is caused by inhaling too much dust and mold from crops.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2021

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