Library / English Dictionary

AVITAMINOSIS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: avitaminoses   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins

Synonyms:

avitaminosis; hypovitaminosis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("avitaminosis" is a kind of...):

malnutrition (a state of poor nutrition; can result from insufficient or excessive or unbalanced diet or from inability to absorb foods)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "avitaminosis"):

beriberi (avitaminosis caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1))

Alpine scurvy; maidism; mal de la rosa; mal rosso; mayidism; pellagra; Saint Ignatius' itch (a disease caused by deficiency of niacin or tryptophan (or by a defect in the metabolic conversion of tryptophan to niacin); characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances and erythema and nervous or mental disorders; may be caused by malnutrition or alcoholism or other nutritional impairments)

rachitis; rickets (childhood disease caused by deficiency of vitamin D and sunlight associated with impaired metabolism of calcium and phosphorus)

scorbutus; scurvy (a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C))

moon blindness; night blindness; nyctalopia (inability to see clearly in dim light; due to a deficiency of vitamin A or to a retinal disorder)

Derivation:

avitaminotic (of or relating to or characteristic of avitaminosis)

Credits