Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Offensive breath.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pathology The condition of having stale or foul-smelling breath.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun offensive breath

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin hālitus, breath (akin to hālāre, to breathe) + –osis.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin hālitus ("whiff, breath"), m. (4th decl.).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word halitosis.

Examples

  • And I know that halitosis is a sign of bad oral health.

    beauty nathreee 2010

  • Listerine did invent the term halitosis, but they weren't the first to take issue with it.

    beauty nathreee 2010

  • To start, "morning breath" is really just plain old bad breath, called halitosis.

    Thomas P. Connelly, D.D.S.: Why Is Morning Breath So Bad? D.D.S. Thomas P. Connelly 2011

  • Bad-breath also known as halitosis is a common problem amongst many people.

    Natural Remedies for Curing Bad breath 2009

  • The idea is to make people aware that having fresh breath is part of overall health and wellness, and that the solution to bad breath -- technically known as halitosis -- can be relatively simple.

    Latest News from SYS-CON MEDIA 2010

  • The idea is to make people aware that having fresh breath is part of overall health and wellness, and that the solution to bad breath -- technically known as halitosis -- can be relatively simple.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • HealthDay News -- Bad breath -- medically called halitosis -- is frequently caused by rotting food particles that collect between the teeth, on the tongue and near the gumline.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2010

  • The bad breath or also known as halitosis originates in the mouth.

    MyLinkVault Newest Links 2009

  • With more than 90 million people suffering from chronic bad breath (also called halitosis), that's a lot of wilted flowers.

    WebMD Health 2009

  • And the old ones that I was used to, 'halitosis' and 'Hallelujah.'

    Come To Grief Francis, Dick 1995

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot his whole life, which created an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little which made him frail, and with his odd diet, he suffered from very bad breath. This made him.... what? A super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis."

    - internet jetsam.

    February 4, 2009

  • Ahhhh, painfully correct, sir.

    February 4, 2009

  • I did not see that coming. Hilarious.

    February 4, 2009

  • You mean, Hollyrious?

    February 4, 2009