noun
rickets
RIH-kihts
noun
1
A childhood bone disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, leading to soft or weakened bones.
"Rickets was once common among children who got little sunlight."
How to Use Rickets
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA disease in children caused by not getting enough vitamin D, which weakens the bones.
Common pairings
prevent rickets
signs of rickets
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_____ was once common among children who got little sunlight.
Etymology
The origin is unclear; it seems to have started as a local dialect name for the disease in Dorset and Somerset, England, before physician Daniel Whistler popularised it as the medical term.