Phthisic

//ˈ(f)θɪzɪk// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A wasting illness of the lungs, such as asthma or tuberculosis; consumption; phthisis. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    Any wasting disease. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A person suffering from phthisis. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    Any wasting or shrinking of another body part such as, for example, the eye (phthisis bulbi). countable, uncountable
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to phthisis or tuberculosis; tubercular; consumptive. not-comparable

Etymology

From Middle English tisike, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin phthisicus (“suffering from tuberculosis”), from Ancient Greek φθισικός (phthisikós, “consumptive”), from φθίσις (phthísis, “tuberculosis, consumption”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.