malnutrition

M3A1L1N1U1T1R1I1T1I1O1N1
US/ˌmæl.nuˈtɹɪʃ.ən/

noun

A lack of adequate nourishment.

OriginEnglish nutrition ← Old French mal- ← Latin male →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounmalnutrition (usually uncountable, plural malnutritions)

plural malnutritions

  1. uncountableusuallyA lack of adequate nourishment.

    It is predictable that some of these infections occur in individuals immunocompromised by malnutrition or underlying disease (notably cancer or AIDS) or by immunosuppressive therapy.

    2013, Robert H. Rubin, Lowell S. Young, Clinical Approach to Infection in the Compromised Host, →ISBN, page 275

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Latinmalus
  5. Latinmale
  6. Old Frenchmal-
  7. Englishmal-
  8. Englishnutrition
  9. Englishmalnutrition

From mal- + nutrition.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic سُوء تَغْذِيَة
  • سُوء تَغْذِيَة (sūʔ taḡḏiya)lack of adequate nourishment
Bulgarian недохранване
  • недохранване (nedohranvane)lack of adequate nourishment
Catalan desnutrició
  • desnutriciólack of adequate nourishment
Chinese Mandarin 營養不良 /营养不良
  • 營養不良 /营养不良 (yíngyǎng bùliáng)lack of adequate nourishment
Czech podvýživa
  • podvýživalack of adequate nourishment
Danish fejlernæring, underernæring
  • fejlernæringlack of adequate nourishment
  • underernæringlack of adequate nourishment
Dutch ondervoeding
  • ondervoedinglack of adequate nourishment
Finnish aliravitsemus, virheravitsemus
  • aliravitsemuslack of adequate nourishment
  • virheravitsemuslack of adequate nourishment
French malnutrition
  • malnutritionlack of adequate nourishment
German Unterernährung, Mangelernährung
  • Unterernährunglack of adequate nourishment
  • Mangelernährunglack of adequate nourishment
Greek υποσιτισμός
  • υποσιτισμός (ypositismós)lack of adequate nourishment
Hindi कुपोषण
  • कुपोषण (kupoṣaṇ)lack of adequate nourishment
Hungarian alultápláltság
  • alultápláltságlack of adequate nourishment
Indonesian defisiensi nutrisi, malanutritisi
  • defisiensi nutrisilack of adequate nourishment
  • malanutritisilack of adequate nourishment
Italian denutrizione
  • denutrizionelack of adequate nourishment
Japanese 栄養失調
  • 栄養失調 (eiyō shitchō)lack of adequate nourishment
Korean 영양실조
  • 영양실조 (yeong'yangsiljo)lack of adequate nourishment
Malay malnutrisi, malpemakanan
  • malnutrisilack of adequate nourishment
  • malpemakananlack of adequate nourishment
Norwegian Bokmål underernæring, feilernæring
  • underernæringlack of adequate nourishment
  • feilernæringlack of adequate nourishment
Polish niedożywienie
  • niedożywienielack of adequate nourishment
Portuguese desnutrição
  • desnutriçãolack of adequate nourishment
Russian недоеда́ние
  • недоеда́ние (nedojedánije)lack of adequate nourishment
Spanish malnutrición
  • malnutriciónlack of adequate nourishment
Swedish undernäring
  • undernäringlack of adequate nourishment
Turkish yetersiz beslenme
  • yetersiz beslenmelack of adequate nourishment
Ukrainian недоїда́ння
  • недоїда́ння (nedojidánnja)lack of adequate nourishment

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with malnutrition

editionpositioncommissionconditionadditionmissionpermissionnutritiontransmissionsubmissiontransitionacquisitionadmissionexhibitiontraditiontuitionemissionpartitionpropositionmusicianexpeditionignitionprohibitioninhibition
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“malnutrition.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malnutrition. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malnutrition,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malnutrition.

Source: malnutrition on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.