pellagra
/pɛˈlaɡrə
/ /pɛˈleɪɡrə/noun [mass noun]
A deficiency disease caused by a lack of nicotinic acid or its precursor tryptophan in the diet. It is characterized by dermatitis, diarrhoea, and mental disturbance, and is often linked to over-dependence on maize as a staple food.Those highly dependent on corn as a food might develop pellagra and this chronic disease, causing dermatitis, diarrhea, and ultimately dementia, battered the population of European corn growing regions during the nineteenth century....
- Deficiency leads to pellagra, a condition characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea and certain mental health problems.
- The troops suffered from malaria, dengue fever, beriberi, hookworm and pellagra.
Derivatives
pellagrous
/ /pɛˈleɪɡrəs / adjective ...- Why must they suffer these unsightly pellagrous lesions, and all the accompanying discomforts?
Origin
Early 19th century: from Italian, from pelle 'skin', on the pattern of podagra.
Rhymes
- part-writing
- party
- party and party
- party animal
- party bag
- party boat
- party-boating
- party boy
- party cell
- party-crasher
- party-crashing
- party-down
- party faithful
- party feeling
- party foul
- party girl
- party-giver
- partygoer
- party-going
- party government
- party hack
- party-hardy
- party hat
- party-hearty
- partyism