What does "beriberi" mean?

An ailment caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), leading to lethargy and organ complications.

Beriberi

Common synonyms include: anemia, ariboflavinosis, cachexia, cardiovascular beriberi, chlorosis, deficiency anemia.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
An ailment caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), leading to lethargy and organ complications. uncountable, usually
2
avitaminosis caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1) wordnet

Possibly borrowed from Sinhalese phrase බැරි බැරි (bæri bæri, “I cannot, I cannot”) due to weakness.