addison's disease
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A state of anaemia, languor, irritable stomach, etc., associated with disease of the suprarenal glands: so named from Dr. Thos. Addison, of Guy's Hospital (1793-1860), who first described it.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “addison's disease” mean?
A state of anaemia, languor, irritable stomach, etc., associated with disease of the suprarenal glands: so named from Dr. Thos. Addison, of Guy's Hospital (1793-1860), who first described it.
Is “addison's disease” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.