Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mal du suisse

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English

Syllables: mal -du -su-isse
IPA

14

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Nostalgia or homesickness.

Uncountable

Etymology

From French mal du Suisse (literally “Swiss disease”); coined in 1688 by Johannes Hofer (1669–1752), based on its frequent occurrence in Swiss mercenaries who in the plains of Switzerland were pining for their landscapes. At the time it was thought to be accompanied by serious symptoms such as fainting and fever, and potentially fatal.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: mal du Suisse

Usage

Uncountable

Questions

What does mal du suisse mean?: Nostalgia or homesickness.
Where does mal du suisse come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce mal du suisse

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