Words / B2

AYLM-uh-nt/ˈeɪlmənt/

An ailment is an illness, especially one that is not thought to be very serious: a minor ailment; childhood ailments. Illness and disease are broader; complaint is a GP twin; condition can be long-term. Name the ailment in the GP notes, then the incidence. Mix-up: ailment vs aliment (food, rare); alignment; do not write ailment for a named emergency such as a stroke unless the source uses the word.

Meaning

An illness, especially one that is not thought to be very serious.

Examples

• “Name the ailment in the GP notes, then the incidence, not a wellness slogan.”
• “Minor ailments featured in the pharmacy protocol, which is the non-emergency sense — still name the symptom.”

Good to know

a minor / common ailment; childhood ailments. Broader: illness / disease. Close: complaint. Trap: aliment / a named emergency. Biology and PSHE. A (usually milder) illness — name it and quote the incidence.

Near in meaning

illness, complaint, condition

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