rickets
a disease of childhood, characterized by softening of the bones as a result of inadequate intake of vitamin D and insufficient exposure to sunlight, also associated with impaired calcium and phosphorus metabolism.
Origin of rickets
1Words Nearby rickets
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rickets in a sentence
Fischer has been endorsed by Sarah Palin and received big dollar donations from the Koch brothers and Joe rickets.
Bob Kerrey Closes In On Reclaiming His Nebraska Senate Seat | John Avlon | October 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is of temporary duration, and usually clears up when the symptoms of rickets have been eradicated.
The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadlerrickets (a disease of the bones) often follows in the wake of faulty feeding and unhygienic surroundings.
The Mother and Her Child | William S. SadlerHis make-up was that of a man completely worn out—one afflicted with physical and moral rickets.
The conquest of Rome | Matilde SeraoRick′etly, shaky; Rick′ety, affected with rickets: feeble, unstable.
Then John, he's got the rickets, and is used to be fed and taken care of.
British Dictionary definitions for rickets
/ (ˈrɪkɪts) /
(functioning as singular or plural) pathol a disease mainly of children, characterized by softening of developing bone, and hence bow legs, malnutrition, and enlargement of the liver and spleen, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D
Origin of rickets
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for rickets
[ rĭk′ĭts ]
A bone disease seen mostly in children, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, usually as a result of inadequate dietary intake or lack of exposure to sunlight. This deficiency causes decreased calcium absorption from the intestine and abnormalities in formation and mineralization of skeletal bone, resulting in defective bone growth and deformity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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