Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beriberi

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables
beriberi
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An ailment caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), leading to lethargy and organ complications.

Uncountable

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from Sinhalese phrase බැරි බැරි (bæri bæri, “I cannot, I cannot”) due to weakness.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

beriberis (plural) beri-beri (alternative)

Derived Forms

antiberiberi antiberiberin beriberic beriberoid

Phrases

aberic acid dry beriberi wet beriberi athlete's foot

Frequently Paired Words

athlete's foot malnutrition

Synonyms

endemic neuritis kakke

Questions

What does beriberi mean?
An ailment caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), leading to lethargy and organ complications.
Where does beriberi come from?
Possibly borrowed from Sinhalese phrase බැරි බැරි (bæri bæri, “I cannot, I cannot”) due to weakness.

How to pronounce beriberi

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “beriberi”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “beriberi”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “beriberi” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.