surra

American  

[soor-uh] / ˈsʊər ə /

noun

Veterinary Pathology.

1. an often fatal infectious disease of horses, camels, elephants, and dogs caused by a blood-infecting protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma evansi, transmitted by the bite of horseflies, characterized by fever, anemia, and emaciation.

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surra British  

/ ˈsʊərə /

noun

1. a tropical febrile disease of cattle, horses, camels, and dogs, characterized by severe emaciation: caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma evansi and transmitted by fleas

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Etymology

Origin of surra

First recorded in 1885–90, surra is from the Marathi word sūra heavy breathing sound

Example Sentences

When the surra, or horse disease, had made a scarcity of those animals, the padre's gilded equipage had to be drawn by a cebu, or very small and weary-looking cow, imported from Indo-China.

From A Woman's Impression of the Philippines by Fee, Mary Helen

Oh, surra bit o' me knows a word she's sayin', though it's mighty like the Irish of a Connaught man.

From Cedar Creek From the Shanty to the Settlement by Walshe, Elizabeth Hely

A heavy silence fell upon the plaza, punctuated only by the raucous breathing of a big American cavalry-horse, dying of the surra by the cuartel.

From Caybigan by Hopper, James

He likewise fixed the surra from Constantinople, or, as it is called, the Greek surra, at thirty-one thousand ducats per annum.

From Travels in Arabia; comprehending an account of those territories in Hedjaz which the Mohammedans regard as sacred by Burckhardt, John Lewis

A similar result followed the inauguration of an active campaign for the suppression of surra, foot and mouth disease, and rinderpest, which were rapidly destroying the horses and cattle.

From The Philippines: Past and Present (Volume 1 of 2) by Worcester, Dean C.