Cretinizing

/ˈkrɛtɪnaɪzɪŋ/ adjective

Definition

Causing or tending to cause cretinism; describing a process or condition that produces thyroid hormone deficiency and its developmental effects.

Etymology

Present participle of cretinize, using the -ing suffix to indicate an ongoing process or characteristic quality. Medical terminology from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Kelly Says

A cretinizing diet would be one severely lacking in iodine, and a cretinizing pregnancy one where the mother cannot pass iodine to her developing fetus—these are now preventable conditions.

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