Beriberi

German

Etymology

Late 17th century, from Dutch berebery (1612), beriberij (1631), possibly through French béribéri (1665). The Dutch is either from Portuguese berebere (1568) or directly from a language of Southeast Asia. The ultimate origin is usually identified as Sinhalese බැරි (bæri, “weakness, incapacity”). An older theory connects it with Malay biri-biri (“sheep”, a supposedly dull and weak animal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbeːʁiˈbeːʁi/

• Audio

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Noun

Beriberi f (genitive Beriberi, no plural)

1. (medicine) beriberi (disease)