# halitosis

> English word · Noun · IPA /hæl.ɪˈtəʊ.sɪs/ · frequency rank #84,335

## Definitions
1. The condition of having stale or foul-smelling breath.

## Etymology
Coined by doctor Joseph William Howe in 1874 and described as being derived from the Latin hālitus (literally “whiff, breath”) and the Ancient Greek νόσος (nósos, literally “disease”). It can be also understood as combination of the Latin hālitus and the English suffix -osis.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/halitosis