Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
| an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language. |
| the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language). |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
aspergillosis as·per·gil·lo·sis (ās'pər-jə-lō'sĭs)
n.
An infection or a disease caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
aspergillosis
a number of different disease states in human beings that are caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, especially A. fumigatus, A. flavus, and A. niger, and that produce a variety of effects on humans, ranging from no illness to allergic reactions to mild pneumonia to overwhelming generalized infection. The ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus is especially prevalent in the air. Inhalation of Aspergillus is common, but the fungus can also be introduced into the body through a cut or a surgical wound.
Learn more about aspergillosis with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
