Any ailment or disease of the body; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.
(RQ:Shakespeare Sonnets)
a. 1812, (w), ''It is Good for Me, that I have been Afflicted'' (sermon)
- The maladies of the body may prove medicines of the mind.
A moral or mental defect or disorder.
(RQ:Dryden Fables)
(alt form)