sick man of Europe
English
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sick man of Europe
Where it comes from
Calque of Russian больно́й челове́к Европы (bolʹnój čelovék Jevropy), a phrase coined by Czar Nicholas I of the Empire of Russia, referring to the poor state of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.
proper noun
- The Ottoman Empire.
- Any European country undergoing economic difficulty. Yes, we were known as the “sick man of Europe” until we joined the European Union and – guess what – we have left the EU and have regained that dubious status.
Translations
Every language
name Ottoman Empire
| Español | hombre enfermo de Europa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 유럽의 환자 Yureobui hwanja |
| 日本語 | ヨーロッパの病人 yōroppa no byōnin |
| Português | homem doente da Europa |
| Français | homme malade de l'Europe |
| Deutsch | kranker Mann am Bosporus |
| Ελληνικά | μεγάλος ασθενής megálos asthenís |
| Русский | больно́й челове́к Евро́пы bolʹnój čelovék Jevrópy |
name any European country undergoing economic difficulty
| Português | doente da Europa, homem doente da Europa |
|---|
Talk about this word "sick man of Europe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sick%20man%20of%20europe. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. sick man of Europe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sick%20man%20of%20europe "sick man of Europe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sick%20man%20of%20europe.Cite this
@misc{sick_man_of_europe_2026,
title = {sick man of Europe},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sick%20man%20of%20europe},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
