Educational Content: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Definition of Peccant
Medically reviewed by Dr. Otari Nergadze, Neurosurgeon | Updated: January 2026
Peccant: Unhealthy. Causing illness or disease.
"...the subtile parts of the tobacco in inspiration are carried into the trachea and lungs, where they loosen the peccant humours adhering thereto, and promote expectoration." (From the entry to tobacco in the First Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, 1771)
The word peccant comes from the Latin peccans, from peccare (to sin, to commit a fault, to stumble). Peccant involves stumbling of a sort -- falling into unhealthy behavior.