halitosis

noun ah-lee-TOH-sees Rare

Origin: Coined from Latin halitus 'breath' + Greek -osis 'condition'.

Also means

bad breath

Usage Note

Halitosis is the clinical term for chronic bad breath; everyday speakers more often say mal aliento. Like most medical -osis nouns, it is invariable in the plural (las halitosis is grammatically correct but rare — the singular is almost always used). It is always feminine.

Examples

"La halitosis puede tener causas dentales."

Natural Translation

Halitosis can have dental causes.

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