Lyme disease

[ lahym ]

nounPathology.
  1. an acute inflammatory disease caused by a tick-borne spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, characterized by recurrent episodes of decreasing severity in which joint swelling, fever, and rash occur, sometimes with cardiac or nervous system complications.

Origin of Lyme disease

1
After Lyme, Conn., where it was first described

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How to use Lyme disease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Lyme disease

Lyme disease

/ (laɪm) /


noun
  1. a disease of domestic animals and humans, caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burghdorferi and transmitted by ticks, and variously affecting the joints, heart, and brain

Origin of Lyme disease

1
C20: named after Lyme, Connecticut, the town where it was first identified in humans

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Lyme disease

Lyme disease

[ līm ]


  1. A disease caused by the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by deer ticks and characterized initially by a bull's-eye-shaped rash followed by flu-like symptoms such as fever, joint pain, and headache. If untreated, it can result in chronic arthritis and neurologic or cardiac dysfunction. It is named after Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first reported.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Lyme disease

Lyme disease

[ (leyem) ]


An infection caused by a bacterium transmitted by the bite of a tick. If untreated, the disease can lead to, among other things, a serious form of chronic arthritis. Lyme disease is most prevalent in the wooded regions of the Northeast and the Middle West.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.