milt-sick

/mɪlt sɪk/

adjective

Having a disease of the spleen.

First used 10th century

Meanings

adjective

alternative miltsick · alternative melt-sick · alternative miltsiekte

  1. Having a disease of the spleen.First known use 10th century

    Sir,—In the Agricultural Journal of the 16th ult. appears a lengthy letter signed by Mr. Andrew Smith, treating on the symptoms and remedies for Milt-sick Blood-poisoning.

    1891 September 10, H. W. Browne, Agricultural Journal, volume 4, number 5, Department of Agriculture of the Cape Colony, Milt-sick Blood-poisoning, page 58
    2 more examples

    Each buss-master shall diligently attend to the sorting of the fish, by separating the full from the poor ones, and not mixing the sound with the night-refuse, roe-sick, milt-sick, stinking or unsightly herrings; […]

    1807 [1783], Transactions, volume 25, Royal Society of Arts, Colonies and Trade, page 171

    All herrings which in the re-packing, whether at sea or after arrival in Holland, require to be heightened (filled up), must only be filled up with herrings of the same night's taking and assortment; and no barrels must, on any account, be filled up with herrings of a later date, far less with milt-sick, roe-sick, or spent fish: […]

    1824, Thomas Gill, Technical Repository, volume 6, London: T. Caddell, Strand, page 5
  2. South AfricaHaving anthrax (milt-sickness).

Origin

  1. Old Englishmilte seoc
  2. Englishmilt-sick

From Old English milte seoc, literally, “spleen-sick”. By surface analysis, milt + sick.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: milt-sick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.