Meanings
- informalBacterial pneumonia.
In many instances, it is likely that the old man's friend, pneumonia, may be preventable if nutritional status could be normalized.
1998, Howard M. Fillit, Gloria Picariello, Practical Geriatric Assessment, →ISBN, page 633 more examples
The "old man's friend," pneumonia, can, in many instances, be turned from the door, and a wide variety of serious diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, salmonellosis, and cholera, can be treated effectively if the right drugs can be got to the right place at the right time.
1978, International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, Inauguration Symposium on Current Trends in Immunology and Genetics and Their Implications for Parasitic DiseasesDr Pearson visited him regularly, but on the fifth day, when Sam's condition had worsened, his breathing coming with difficulty and a faint bubbling sound, he shook his head and whispered to Jan, 'The old man's friend.'
2011, Michael Legat, The Shapiro Diamond, →ISBNFor Marguerite, a drug called Keflex had taken all that was amiable out of the old man's friend. It was her second successful bout with the illness in three years.
2014, Lowell Cauffiel, Forever and Five Days: The Chilling True Story of Love, Betrayal, and Serial Murder in Grand Rapids, Michigan, →ISBN
Origin
Coined by Sir William Osler because it kills the elderly without too much suffering.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
old man's friend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20man's%20friend
“old man's friend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20man's%20friend. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “old man's friend,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20man's%20friend.
Source: old man's friend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.