radiation sickness: Meaning and Definition of

radia'tion sick"ness

Pronunciation: [key]
— Pathol. Pathol.
  1. sickness caused by irradiation with x-rays or other nuclear radiation as a result of therapeutic treatment, accidental exposure, or a nuclear bomb explosion and characterized by nausea, vomiting, headache, cramps, diarrhea, loss of hair and teeth, destruction of white blood cells, and prolonged hemorrhage.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.