sleeping sickness

noun Pathology.
1.
Also called African sleeping sickness, African trypanosomiasis. a generally fatal disease, common in parts of Africa, characterized by fever, wasting, and progressive lethargy: caused by a parasitic protozoan, Trypanosoma gambiense or T. rhodesiense, that is carried by a tsetse fly, Glossina palpalis.
2.
Also called epidemic encephalitis, lethargic encephalitis. a viral disease affecting the brain, characterized by apathy, sleepiness, extreme muscular weakness, and impairment of vision.
Also, British, sleepy sickness.

Origin:
1870–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
sleeping sickness
 
—n
1.  Also called: African sleeping sickness an African disease caused by infection with protozoans of the genus Trypanosoma, characterized by fever, wasting, and sluggishness
2.  Also called (esp formerly): sleepy sickness, Technical name: encephalitis lethargica an epidemic viral form of encephalitis characterized by extreme drowsiness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
sleeping sickness is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

sleeping sickness n.
See encephalitis lethargica.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
sleeping sickness   (slē'pĭng)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. An often fatal protozoan infection prevalent in tropical Africa, caused by either of two trypanosomes spread by the bite of the tsetse fly and characterized by fever and extreme lethargy.

  2. Encephalitis that is caused by any of various viruses and is characterized by lethargy and extreme muscular weakness.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Sleeping sickness is infection with germs carried by certain flies.
These insects carry sleeping sickness, which is as much a bane of ungulates as it is of people.
How sleeping sickness parasites evade human defenses.
Resistance to sleeping sickness is one trait that potentially could spread through selective breeding.
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