a disease, endemic in E and S Asia, caused by dietary deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). It affects the nerves to the limbs, producing pain, paralysis, and swelling
Word origin
C19: from Sinhalese, by reduplication from beri weakness
beriberi in American English
(ˌbɛriˈbɛri)
noun
a deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin B1, thiamine, in the diet: it is characterized by nerve disorders and, sometimes, by edema due to heart dysfunction