Rickets Meaning
/ˈɹɪkɪts/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA disorder of infancy and early childhood due to a deficiency of vitamin D, causing soft or weak bones.
verbthird-person singular simple present indicative of ricket
Sentence Examples
He suffers from rickets.
Rubella is also called 'German measles' in English, while Germans call rickets 'the English disease'.
In order to prevent rickets the doctor prescribed insolation.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the child had weak bones due to a condition called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child was diagnosed with ____, a condition caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin D.
Word Origin & History
Unknown. Originally a local name for the disease in Dorset and Somerset, England. Occasionally postulated to be derived from a Dorsetian dialectal term *rucket (“to breathe with difficulty, wheeze”), but the semantic connection is tenuous. See rachitis, but the medical name was chosen purposefully by English physician Daniel Whistler from phonetic similarity to rickets.
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the child had weak bones due to a condition called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The child was diagnosed with ____, a condition caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin D.