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greensickness

greensickness

9.9
An old word for a blood condition in young women that causes weakness, pale or green skin, and irregular periods
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : clorosis
  • Medical texts once described greensickness as a malady of unmarried women.

Examples

  • She has greensickness.

  • The symptoms of greensickness were often misunderstood by physicians in the 18th century.

  • In Victorian novels, young ladies sometimes fainted due to greensickness.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with greensickness.

  • The young girl was diagnosed with greensickness after her friends noticed her pale complexion and constant fatigue.

  • Doctors in the past often treated greensickness in young women who suffered from anemia and irregular periods.

  • In the 19th century, greensickness was commonly recognized as a serious health concern affecting adolescent girls.

Synonyms

chlorosis
vsgreensickness
  • Archaic
9.9

A blood condition in which the body has too little iron, causing weakness and greenish skin

is an older, dated name for the same medical condition

Surface Forms

greensickness singular

Morphology

greensickness = green + sickness (transparent) = green + sickness

The compound's meaning is directly inferable from 'green' + 'sickness' as an illness associated with a greenish or pale complexion, though specific medical details are not expressed by the form.

Etymology

Greensickness comes from the simple parts green and sickness; green once described a 'greenish' or pale look and also meant 'youth', so the name meant an illness of young women who were weak and looked pale. That's why greensickness was used for a kind of anemia with weakness and a pale or green-tinged skin.