yaws

[ yawz ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

1. an infectious, nonvenereal tropical disease, primarily of children, characterized by raspberrylike eruptions of the skin and caused by a spirochete, Treponema pertenue, that is closely related to the agent of syphilis.

yaws

/ jɔːz /

noun

1. usually functioning as singular an infectious nonvenereal disease of tropical climates with early symptoms resembling syphilis, characterized by red skin eruptions and, later, pain in the joints: it is caused by the spiral bacterium Treponema pertenue Also calledframboesia

yaws

/ yôz /

1. A highly contagious tropical disease that chiefly affects children, caused by the spirochete Treponema pertenue and characterized by raspberrylike sores, especially on the hands, feet, and face.

Word History and Origins

Origin of yaws¹

From Carib, dating back to 1670–80; -s ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of yaws¹

C17: of Carib origin

Example Sentences

Eradicating yaws—a painful and disfiguring bacterial disease—may be harder than scientists hoped, a study published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests.

From Science Magazine

WHO first set up a campaign to wipe yaws off the face of Earth in the 1950s.

From Science Magazine

"This study sheds light into early cases of yaws after the European colonization of the Americas," says Aditya Kumar Lankapalli of the Max Planck Institute in the statement.

From Fox News

And when a vehicle pitches and yaws, airflow into the engine changes, which can result in uneven combustion and thrust.

From Science Magazine

A few flies also carried the bacterium that causes yaws, a disfiguring skin disease that affects both humans and animals.

From Science Magazine