Rhachitis
/rækˈtaɪ.tɪs/noun
An older medical term for rickets, a childhood disease caused by vitamin D deficiency that softens and weakens bones.
Did you know?Rhachitis was coined from Greek roots meaning “spine” because the disease can visibly deform the back, and the later English word rickets likely arose as a variant of that same medical term.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥάχις (rháchis)
“spine, backbone”
Late Latin
Latin
rachitis
“a disease of the spine; later used for rickets”
17th Century
English
rickets
“a disease of children causing soft, malformed bones”
Modern English
English
rhachitis
“obsolete or learned medical term for rickets”