Dated medical term for rickets, a disease causing bone deformities including a hunched back. Modern medical term is くる病.
See also: くる病
He made fun of the hunchbacked man.
Hunchbacked people were often discriminated against in the past.
The disease once called せむし is now known as rickets.
猫背 refers to a stooped or rounded posture, often temporary or habitual, while せむし implies a fixed spinal deformity or hunchback condition.
くる病 is the modern medical term for rickets; せむし is a dated, sensitive term that historically referred to the same condition.
Kana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana. Kanji forms are rare or search-only.
Rare kanji form; not commonly used in modern Japanese.
Rare kanji form; may be encountered in older texts.
Compound of 背 (se, 'back') and むし (mushi), possibly from 虫 (mushi, 'bug, worm') or a variant of 蒸し (mushi, 'steamed'), referring to a hunched or swollen back. The exact derivation is uncertain.