kwashiorkor (English)
Where does "kwashiorkor" come from?
The English word 'kwashiorkor' originates from the Ga word 'kwašiɔkɔ'[1]. This term translates to 'the sickness the older child gets when the next baby is born'[1], describing a condition of malnutrition caused by protein deficiency in children who have been recently weaned.
Open questions
- The specific semantic nuance of the original Ga term relies on a literal translation of a cultural health concept. [1]
Full etymology tree
- kwashiorkor (English), 'A form of malnutrition, found in children, caused by dietary insufficiency of protein in combination with a high-carbohydrate diet.'
- borrowed kwašiɔkɔ (Ga)
Descendants and derived words
- kwashiorkored (English)
- kwashiorkoric (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris