kwashiorkor
/ˌkwɒʃiˈɔːrkər/
noun
Origin
Ga
kwashia + o + kor — displaced child
Overview
Meaning Now
- A form of severe protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates, and skin changes.
- A condition primarily affecting young children, often occurring after weaning when the diet becomes deficient in proteins.
Literal older meaning
the sickness the baby gets when the new baby comes
Language path
Ga → English
Earliest form
kwashiorkor
Earliest period
1935
Journey
The term was introduced to the international medical community by Dr. Cicely Williams, a British pediatrician working in the Gold Coast (modern Ghana). She observed that the condition frequently appeared in children who had been abruptly weaned from breast milk to a carbohydrate-rich diet because a new sibling had been born.
Evolution
- Early 20th century Ga
kwashiorkor
“sickness of the displaced child”
Used in the Ga language of present-day Ghana to describe the condition.
- 1935 English
kwashiorkor
“a specific syndrome of protein-energy malnutrition”
Medicalized by Dr. Cicely Williams in a clinical report.
Connections
Word parts
kwashia
root
first/displaced
kor
root
sickness
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Related to kwashiorkor
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.