Meanings
plural halitoses
- countableuncountablemedicineThe condition of having stale or foul-smelling breath.
Bad breath or halitosis is an indication of a disturbed digestive system. It is indicative of a bowel toxemia in either the small or large intestine with an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast.
2004, Dicken Weatherby, Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective, Weatherby & Associates, LLC, →ISBN, page 1151 more example
For example, the word halitosis was almost completely unknown among the general public until the early 20th century when a business owner named Gerard Lambert started using it to sell a new product called Listerine. By giving a mundane fact of life (bad breath) a scientific sounding label, Lambert elevated the authority and desirability of his product many times over.
[2018 June 13, Michael Schein, “Author Simon Sinek Is Full Of Hot Air (And Other Reasons You Should Follow His Lead)”, in ForbesSynonyms: bromopnea, fetor oris, ozostomia, stomatodysodia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe condition of having stale or foul-smelling breath.
Origin
- Latinhālitus
- Ancient Greekνόσος
- Latinhālitus
- Englishhalitosis
Coined by doctor Joseph William Howe in 1874 and described as being derived from the Latin hālitus (literally “whiff, breath”) and the Ancient Greek νόσος (nósos, literally “disease”). It can be also understood as combination of the Latin hālitus and the English suffix -osis.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بَخَر
- بَخَر (baḵar)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Bulgarian лош дъх
- лош дъх (loš dăh)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Catalan halitosi
- halitosicondition of having foul-smelling breath
Chinese Mandarin 口臭
- 口臭 (kǒuchòu)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Czech halitóza
- halitózacondition of having foul-smelling breath
Danish dårlig ånde, halitosis
- dårlig åndecondition of having foul-smelling breath
- halitosiscondition of having foul-smelling breath
- foetor ex orecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Dutch foetor ex ore
- foetor ex orecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Esperanto halitozo
- halitozocondition of having foul-smelling breath
Finnish pahanhajuinen hengitys, halitoosi
- pahanhajuinen hengityscondition of having foul-smelling breath
- halitoosicondition of having foul-smelling breath
French halitose
- halitosecondition of having foul-smelling breath
German Mundgeruch
- Mundgeruchcondition of having foul-smelling breath
Greek χαλίτωση
- χαλίτωση (chalítosi)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Hebrew באשת
- באשתcondition of having foul-smelling breath
Icelandic andremma, andfýla
- andremmacondition of having foul-smelling breath
- andfýlacondition of having foul-smelling breath
Italian alitosi
- alitosicondition of having foul-smelling breath
Japanese 口臭
- 口臭 (kōshū)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Korean 구취
- 구취 (guchwi)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Latin fētor ēx ōre
- fētor ēx ōrecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Māori hāpiro
- hāpirocondition of having foul-smelling breath
Norwegian Bokmål halitose, dårlig ånde
- halitosecondition of having foul-smelling breath
- dårlig åndecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Persian بوی بد دهان, گندهدهانی
- بوی بد دهانcondition of having foul-smelling breath
- گندهدهانی (gande-dahâni)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Polish halitoza
- halitozacondition of having foul-smelling breath
Portuguese halitose
- halitosecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Russian галито́з, неприя́тный за́пах и́зо рта́
- галито́з (galitóz)condition of having foul-smelling breath
- неприя́тный за́пах и́зо рта́ (neprijátnyj zápax ízo rtá)condition of having foul-smelling breath
Spanish halitosis
- halitosiscondition of having foul-smelling breath
Swedish dålig andedräkt, foetor ex ore
- dålig andedräktcondition of having foul-smelling breath
- foetor ex orecondition of having foul-smelling breath
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with halitosis
Cite this entry
halitosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halitosis
“halitosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halitosis. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “halitosis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halitosis.
Source: halitosis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.