/kwah'shee awr"kawr, -keuhr/ , n. Pathol.
a malnutrition disease, chiefly of children, caused by severe protein and vitamin deficiency and characterized by retarded growth, changes in pigmentation, potbelly, and anemia.
[ 1930-35; kwašioko the influence a child is said to be under when his mother becomes pregnant with her next child; sp. with r 's is r-less speaker's representation of the vowels ]