syphilis

[ sif-uh-lis ]

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.

syphilis

/ 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

syphilis

/ 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.

syphilis

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.

Derived Forms

• syphilitic, adjective
• ˌsyphiˈlitically, adverb
• ˈsyphiˌloid, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of syphilis¹

< 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of syphilis¹

C18: from New Latin Syphilis ( sive Morbus Gallicus ) ``Syphilis (or the French disease)'', title of a poem (1530) by G. Fracastoro, Italian physician and poet, in which a shepherd Syphilus is portrayed as the first victim of the disease

Example Sentences

Eight years earlier, the Texas Medical Board found that he had failed to diagnose appendicitis in one patient and syphilis in another.

From Salon

The collected blood is tested for diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and syphilis, as well as malaria if the donor has been somewhere they may have been exposed to the virus.

From BBC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finalized its endorsement of taking doxycycline after unprotected sex as a way to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis infections.

From Seattle Times

Untreated syphilis can cause lifelong complications, such as brain and nerve problems, while gonorrhoea can lead to infertility.

From BBC

His efforts were so dogged, it likely contributed to the alarming national outbreak of syphilis the country is experiencing.

From Salon

Related Words

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