lathyrism

American

[lath-uh-riz-uhm] / ˈlæθ əˌrɪz əm /

noun

Pathology.

a disorder of humans and domestic animals caused by ingestion of the seeds of some legumes of the genus Lathyrus and marked by spastic paralysis and pain.

lathyrism British

/ ˈlæθərɪzəm /

noun

a neurological disease often resulting in weakness and paralysis of the legs: caused by eating the pealike seeds of the leguminous plant Lathyrus sativus

"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 lathyrism

1885–90; < New Latin Lathyr ( us ) genus name (< Greek láthyros a kind of pea) + -ism

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lathyrism

Lathyrism.—The name lathyrism has been given to a disease supposed to be connected with the use of the pulse and the chick pea.

From Food Poisoning by Edwin Oakes Jordan

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