mal rosso
- noun
- /mæl ˈrɔsoʊ/
- Specialized
- Outbreaks of mal rosso were common in rural communities affected by poor nutrition.
Examples
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Chronic alcoholism can increase the risk of developing mal rosso due to impaired nutrient absorption.
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The doctor diagnosed her with mal rosso.
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The classic symptoms of mal rosso made diagnosis straightforward for experienced physicians.
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He experienced symptoms of mal rosso after the diet change.
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Outbreaks of mal rosso were common in rural communities affected by poor nutrition.
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Chronic alcoholism can increase the risk of developing mal rosso due to impaired nutrient absorption.
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The classic symptoms of mal rosso made diagnosis straightforward for experienced physicians.
Synonyms
A disease from not having enough vitamin B3 that causes skin, stomach, and mental problems
A disease from not having enough vitamin niacin that causes skin, stomach, and nerve problems
A disease from lack of some nutrients causing skin redness, stomach pain, and memory or mood problems
Surface Forms
Morphology
mal + rosso
Although the input lacks dictionary definitions for the constituents, the phrase clearly contains Romance cognates (mal = illness/bad, rosso = red). A learner who knows those words would likely infer a disease characterized by redness or a red rash, but would not be able to derive the specific medical diagnosis (pellagra) or its nutritional cause and full symptom profile from the parts alone.
Etymology
Mal rosso comes from the two words mal and rosso, which mean 'sickness' and 'red'. People with this illness often had a red, rough rash and stomach or confusion problems because they lacked a vitamin, so the name came to mean that vitamin-deficiency disease.