beriberi

American  

[ber-ee-ber-ee] / ˈbɛr iˈbɛr i /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease of the peripheral nerves caused by a deficiency of vitamin B 1 , characterized by pain in and paralysis of the extremities, and severe emaciation or swelling of the body.

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beriberi British  

/ ˌbɛrɪˈbɛrɪ /

noun

1. a disease, endemic in E and S Asia, caused by dietary deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B 1 ). It affects the nerves to the limbs, producing pain, paralysis, and swelling

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beriberi Scientific  

/ bĕr′ē-bĕr′ē /

1. A disease caused by a deficiency of thiamine, endemic in eastern and southern Asia, and characterized by neurological symptoms, cardiovascular abnormalities, and edema.

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Other Word Forms

• beriberic adjective

Etymology

Origin of beriberi

1695–1705; < Sinhalese, reduplication of beri weakness

Example Sentences

He suffered dysentery, beriberi, ulcerated skin and repeated bouts of malaria.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024

McCollum and others also conducted further experiments with Funk’s rice-bran-derived nutrient, naming it Vitamin “B” after beriberi.

From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023

Eijkman pursued that line of research, discovering that prison populations fed white rice were also afflicted with beriberi.

From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023

Between May and June 2020, three Indonesian deckhands on the ship died of symptoms associated with beriberi, including foaming at the mouth, full-body swelling and shortness of breath, according to an investigation by Greenpeace Indonesia.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023

He had survived pellagra in Persia, scurvy in the Malayan archipelago, leprosy in Alexandria, beriberi in Japan, bubonic plague in Madagascar, an earthquake in Sicily, and a disastrous shipwreck in the Strait of Magellan.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez