noun

deficiency

dih-FIH-shuhn-see

noun

A lack or shortage of something necessary, especially for health.

"The doctor diagnosed a vitamin D deficiency."

"The report highlighted several deficiencies in the safety plan."

How to Use Deficiency

Learner’s notes

Common pairings

iron deficiency vitamin deficiency nutritional deficiency

deficiencies plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

The doctor diagnosed a vitamin D _____.

From "deficient" plus the noun-forming suffix -cy, echoing Latin dēficientia.

agency urgency potency decency regency currency tendency clemency leniency frequency emergency residency