Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

old man's friend

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.29 in modern English

Syllables: old -man's friend
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Bacterial pneumonia.

Informal

Example Sentences

"The "old man's friend," pneumonia, can, in many instances, be turned from the door, and a wide variety of serious diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, salmonellosis, and cholera, can be treated effectively if the right drugs can be got to the right place at the right time."
"In many instances, it is likely that the old man's friend, pneumonia, may be preventable if nutritional status could be normalized."
"Dr Pearson visited him regularly, but on the fifth day, when Sam's condition had worsened, his breathing coming with difficulty and a faint bubbling sound, he shook his head and whispered to Jan, 'The old man's friend.'"
"For Marguerite, a drug called Keflex had taken all that was amiable out of the old man's friend. It was her second successful bout with the illness in three years."

Etymology

Coined by Sir William Osler because it kills the elderly without too much suffering.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

the old man's friend (canonical)

Questions

What does old man's friend mean?: Bacterial pneumonia.
Where does old man's friend come from?: Coined by Sir William Osler because it kills the elderly without too much suffering.

How to pronounce old man's friend

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