ergotism

[ ur-guh-tiz-uhm ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a condition caused by eating rye or some other grain that is infected with ergot fungus or by taking an overdose of a medicine containing ergot, characterized by cramps, spasms, and a form of gangrene.

ergotism

/ ˈɜːɡəˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. ergot poisoning, producing either burning pains and eventually gangrene in the limbs or itching skin and convulsions Also calledSaint Anthony's fire

Word History and Origins

Origin of ergotism¹

First recorded in 1850–55; ergot + -ism

Example Sentences

Thus far the foreign experience of ergotism, both medieval and modern, and of its several types.

From Project Gutenberg

It is almost exclusively among the peasantry that symptoms of ergotism have been seen, and among children particularly.

From Project Gutenberg

The first undoubted instance of ergotism in England belongs to the eighteenth century.

From Project Gutenberg

Chronic poisoning, or ergotism, used frequently to occur amongst the poor fed on rye infected with the Claviceps.

From Project Gutenberg

The last-known “epidemic” of ergotism occurred in Lorraine and Burgundy in the year 1816.

From Project Gutenberg