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Glite Dictionary
favism

favism

1 9.9
A problem of low red blood cells that happens after eating fava beans in people born without a certain enzyme
  • noun
  • /ˈfeɪvɪzəm/
  • Specialized
: favismo
  • Doctors advise patients with favism to avoid fava beans to prevent anemia.

Examples

  • Children who inherit favism may experience anemia when they consume fava beans.

  • Lactose intolerance, favism, etc. have genetic bases and are part of a feedback between environment and group genetics.

    Blog text (29)

  • Favism is a condition that makes some people ill after eating fava beans.

Surface Forms

favism singular
favisms plural

Morphology

favism = fava (semi-transparent) = fava + ism

The word is built from 'fava' plus '-ism', but the resulting meaning is a specialized medical condition associated with eating fava beans rather than a fully predictable abstract noun.

Etymology

The word favism comes from fava, the name for the 'broad bean', and the ending -ism, which means 'a condition'. So, favism is the health condition some people get after eating fava beans, because the beans can make their red blood cells fall and cause anemia.