syphilis

American  

[sif-uh-lis] / ˈsɪf ə lɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic infectious disease, caused by a spirochete, Treponema pallidum, usually venereal in origin but often congenital, and affecting almost any organ or tissue in the body, especially the genitals, skin, mucous membranes, aorta, brain, liver, bones, and nerves.

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syphilis British  

/ ˈsɪfɪlɪs, ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. a venereal disease caused by infection with the microorganism Treponema pallidum: characterized by an ulcerating chancre, usually on the genitals and progressing through the lymphatic system to nearly all tissues of the body, producing serious clinical manifestations

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syphilis Scientific  

/ sĭf′ə-lĭs /

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum that is characterized in its primary stage by genital sores. If untreated, skin ulcers develop in the next stage, called secondary syphilis. As the disease progresses to potentially fatal tertiary syphilis, neurologic involvement with weakness and skeletal or cardiovascular damage can occur.

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syphilis Cultural  

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by a microorganism. In its initial stages (called primary syphilis), it is manifested by a skin ulcer called a chancre. If the disease is not treated by penicillin or other antibiotics, the infection becomes chronic. In so-called tertiary syphilis, virtually any tissue in the body can be damaged, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The disease, if left untreated, can cause blindness, mental illness, and death.

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Other Word Forms

• syphilitic adjective
• syphilitically adverb
• syphiloid adjective

Etymology

Origin of syphilis

< New Latin, coined by Giovanni Fracastoro (1478–1553), Italian physician and poet, in his 1530 Latin poem Syphilis, sive morbus Gallicus (“Syphilis, or the French Disease”), an early account of syphilis

Example Sentences

Other STIs are also on the rise, with syphilis cases last year reaching their highest level in seven decades.

From BBC

In Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 2020, as in other military towns across the U.S., rates of sexually transmitted infections like syphilis, herpes simplex and HIV are among the highest in the country.

From Salon

New cases of the sexually transmitted infection syphilis have risen again in England, continuing a trend dating back to the early 2000s.

From BBC

And syphilis is far from the only sign of a terribly sick health care system.

From Salon

Congenital syphilis, in which syphilis is transmitted to an infant, can lead to miscarriages, stillbirth or disabilities.

From Salon

Related Words

• AIDS
• acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• gonorrhea
• herpes
• the clap
• venereal disease