mal du Suisse

noun

Nostalgia or homesickness.

OriginFrench mal du Suisse →
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Meanings

nounmal du Suisse (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableNostalgia or homesickness.

Origin

  1. Frenchmal du Suisse
  2. Englishmal du Suisse

From French mal du Suisse (literally “Swiss disease”); coined in 1688 by Johannes Hofer (1669–1752), based on its frequent occurrence in Swiss mercenaries who in the plains of Switzerland were pining for their landscapes. At the time it was thought to be accompanied by serious symptoms such as fainting and fever, and potentially fatal.

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Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mal du Suisse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mal%20du%20Suisse

MLA

“mal du Suisse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mal%20du%20Suisse. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mal du Suisse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mal%20du%20Suisse.

Source: mal du Suisse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.