kwashiorkor

Where does the word "kwashiorkor" come from? It comes from Ga kwashiorkor, and was adopted directly into English (1935).

Kwashiorkor’s story begins in Ga: kwashiorkor meant “the disease of the deposed child.” Described the sickness an older child develops when displaced from the breast by a new baby. It reached English by 1935 as kwashiorkor. Introduced to medical English by pediatrician Cicely Williams studying childhood malnutrition in Ghana. Today, kwashiorkor means a severe form of childhood malnutrition caused by protein deficiency, marked by swelling, skin changes, and stunted growth.

1. Stage 1 · Ga · pre-1900s kwashiorkor "the disease of the deposed child", described the sickness an older child develops when displaced from the breast by a new baby.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1935 kwashiorkor "a severe protein-deficiency disease in children", introduced to medical English by pediatrician Cicely Williams studying childhood malnutrition in Ghana.