green sickness

UK/ˈɡɹiːn ˌsɪknəs/

noun

A disease characterized by a greenish tint to the skin; chlorosis.

First used 16th c.
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Meanings

noungreen sickness (uncountable)

alternative greensickness · alternative green-sickness

  1. uncountableA disease characterized by a greenish tint to the skin; chlorosis.First known use 16th c.

    She died of cirrhosis, brain fever, consumption and green sickness before she reached twenty.

    1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 35
  2. uncountableThe abnormal appetite associated with such a disease; pica.First known use 16th c.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
chlorosis
Cite this entry
APA

green sickness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20sickness

MLA

“green sickness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20sickness. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green sickness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20sickness.

Source: green sickness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.