1. A form of anemia formerly believed to affect young women, characterized by a greenish or pale complexion, weakness, and loss of appetite.
Usage: archaic; medical history; also called chlorosis

Examples

• In medieval and Renaissance literature, greensickness was a common affliction attributed to lovesick maidens.
• Physicians of the 16th century prescribed various remedies for greensickness, including iron tonics and bloodletting.
• The pale, weakened heroine in the novel suffered from greensickness, a condition now understood to be iron-deficiency anemia.
• Greensickness was thought to be caused by an imbalance of humors in the body.
• Modern medicine has largely abandoned the term greensickness in favor of more precise diagnoses of anemia.