noun
noma
NOH-muh
noun
1
A severe gangrenous infection that destroys tissue, usually around the mouth and face.
"Noma mostly affects malnourished children in areas with poor healthcare access."
How to Use Noma
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA serious disease that eats away at facial tissue, linked to malnutrition and poor sanitation.
When to use it
A medical term, rarely used outside clinical or public-health contexts.
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_____ mostly affects malnourished children in areas with poor healthcare access.
Etymology
From New Latin noma, tracing back to Ancient Greek nomē, "spreading (of sores)," from a verb meaning to feed or devour.