definitions

phthisic

[ tiz-ik, thiz- ]
/ ˈtɪz ɪk, ˈθɪz- /
Pathology
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR phthisic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a wasting disease of the lungs; phthisis.
asthma.
a person who suffers from phthisis.

adjective

pertaining to phthisis; phthisical.

RELATED WORDS

consumptive, phthisical, tuberculate, tuberculous

Nearby words

phthalocyanine green, phthiocol, phthiriasis, phthiriasis pubis, phthirus, phthisic, phthisical, phthisis, phub, phugoid, phuket

Origin of phthisic

1300–50; < Latin phthisicus < Greek phthisikós (see phthisis, -ic); replacing Middle English tisike < Medieval Latin (p)tisicus; Latin, as above
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phthisic

  • They call it phthisic only because thats the very hardest word in the book to spell.

    The Last of the Flatboats|George Cary Eggleston

  • She put it on her knee, and played a tune that would have made gout, cholic and phthisic dance upon their last legs.

    Peg Woffington|Charles Reade

  • Then Dilsie could sleep in the cabin, as she ought to on account of the jimsonweed in her phthisic pipe.

    The Tinder-Box|Maria Thompson Daviess

  • Yes, there's considerable of ager and phthisic and bilious fever.

    Hoosier Mosaics|Maurice Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for phthisic

phthisic

/ (ˈθaɪsɪk, ˈfθaɪsɪk, ˈtaɪsɪk) obsolete /

adjective

relating to or affected with phthisis

noun

another name for asthma
Derived Formsphthisical, adjective

Word Origin for phthisic

C14: from Old French tisike, from Latin phthisicus, from Greek phthisikos; see phthisis
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