What does phthisis mean?
Phthisis is an old medical term for tuberculosis, particularly the form affecting the lungs that was formerly called consumption. In modern English it is mostly historical, appearing in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century medical records, literary works, and the established phrase phthisis pulmonalis. The word carries associations with gradual wasting, coughing, weakness, and decline, reflecting the way tuberculosis was understood before effective antibiotics were available. Although tuberculosis and consumption are generally its historical synonyms, phthisis is more distinctly tied to formal medical diagnosis and older clinical language. Learning the term is useful for reading historical accounts and understanding the vocabulary of Victorian medicine, when diseases were often named descriptively and their physical effects were prominent.
nounAn obsolete medical term for tuberculosis, especially pulmonary tuberculosis, formerly known as consumption. It is now encountered chiefly in historical texts and specialized medical terminology.
- An obsolete term for tuberculosis, particularly pulmonary tuberculosis; historically also associated with progressive wasting and decline.
"The physician recorded a diagnosis of phthisis after examining the patient's declining health."
"The nineteenth-century medical record lists phthisis as the cause of death."
"Victorian writers often used phthisis poetically when describing a person gradually weakened by consumption."
The plural is grammatically possible but very rare in modern usage because the headword itself is now chiefly historical.
"The archive contains case histories of several phthises treated at the hospital."
Before antibiotics, phthisis was one of the most feared diagnoses in medicine: a historical name for tuberculosis and the wasting disease it caused.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phthisis come from?
The word comes from Greek phthísis, meaning “consumption” or “wasting,” and is related to phthísein, “to consume” or “waste away.” It entered English through Latin and French medical usage. Its derivative forms, including phthisic and phthisical, preserve the same association with consumption and tubercular disease.
Related word forms
How phthisis is actually used
Now rare and strongly historical or medical. It may appear in literary writing, archival records, and the formal phrase phthisis pulmonalis.