What does phthisical mean?
Phthisical is a rare, chiefly historical adjective meaning relating to or affected by phthisis, especially tuberculosis, and by implication consumptive or wastefully emaciated. It comes from the same medical vocabulary as the older diagnosis “consumption” and appears in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century case histories, literary portrayals of invalidity, and discussions of pulmonary disease. The adjective can describe a person's condition or features associated with consumption, but it is not normally used in contemporary clinical language. In older writing, it often evokes the social and cultural image of the “consumptive” patient as well as the disease itself. Today, “phthisical” is chiefly encountered in historical texts, though modern readers may notice its close visual resemblance to “physical,” whose meaning concerns the body or material nature rather than tuberculosis.
adjectiveRelating to or affected by phthisis, especially tuberculosis; consumptive. The term is chiefly historical and now appears mostly in older medical and literary writing.
- Relating to or affected by phthisis, especially tuberculosis.
- Characterized by wasting or consumption.
"The old medical report described her as phthisical and beyond help."
"The physician recorded the patient's phthisical decline in the case notes."
"The novel presents its heroine as phthisical, invoking the period's familiar imagery of consumption."
This tuberculosis-linked adjective sounds almost like “physical,” but it belongs to the old medical vocabulary of consumption.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phthisical come from?
The English adjective was formed from “phthisis” with the suffix “-ical.” Phthisis comes from Greek phthisis, meaning consumption or wasting away, in turn associated with phthisein, “to waste away.” The related forms “phthisic” and “phthisiology” preserve the same Greek medical root, while the historical English term “consumption” supplied a familiar translation of the condition.
Related word forms
How phthisical is actually used
Chiefly archaic, obsolete, or literary. In modern medical communication, a person with tuberculosis is normally described as having tuberculosis rather than as phthisical; historical usage may also carry the cultural associations of consumption.
Easily confused with phthisical
Phthisical is a historical medical adjective relating to consumption or tuberculosis, whereas physical means relating to the body or to material nature.