trench mouth

American  

noun

1. Vincent's angina.

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trench mouth British  

noun

1. a bacterial ulcerative disease characterized by inflammation of the tonsils, gums, etc

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Etymology

Origin of trench mouth

First recorded in 1915–20; so called from its high incidence among soldiers in the trenches

Example Sentences

More males are attacked by trench mouth than females.

From Time Magazine Archive

A common ailment of U. S. and British soldiers during World War I was trench mouth, or Vincent's angina.

From Time Magazine Archive

Doctors at the San Diego Naval Training Center, treating sore throat, scarlet fever and trench mouth, stir penicillin into soft ice cream, put the mixture in paper cups and refreeze it in a refrigerator tray.

From Time Magazine Archive

To kill the trench mouth spirochete, doctors usually swab their patients' swollen gums with hydrogen peroxide, silver salts or arsphenamine, prescribe mouthwashes of sodium perborate.

From Time Magazine Archive

And many men also suffered from trench mouth, a severe bacterial infection of the gums, another hazard of life in the trenches, caused by poor diet, poor hygiene, and smoking.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman