chorea

[ kuh-ree-uh, kaw-, koh- ]

nounPathology.
  1. any of several diseases of the nervous system characterized by jerky, involuntary movements, chiefly of the face and extremities.

  2. Also called St. Vitus's dance. such a disease occurring chiefly in children and associated with rheumatic fever.

  1. Veterinary Pathology. a disease of the central nervous system caused by bacterial or organic degeneration, most common in dogs following canine distemper, characterized by irregular, jerky, involuntary muscular movements.

Origin of chorea

1
1680–90; <Greek choreía a dance, equivalent to chor(ós) chorus + -eia-y3

Other words from chorea

  • cho·re·al, cho·re·ic, cho·re·at·ic [kawr-ee-at-ik, kohr-], /ˌkɔr iˈæt ɪk, ˌkoʊr-/, adjective
  • cho·re·oid [kawr-ee-oid, kohr-], /ˈkɔr iˌɔɪd, ˈkoʊr-/, adjective

Words that may be confused with chorea

Words Nearby chorea

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chorea in a sentence

  • These mild forms are often found in the history of cases of chorea.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
  • In older children chorea, whatever be its cause, is evidently connected with the developmental process.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot
  • The beneficial effects in chorea of absolute rest in bed and forced feeding are a matter of common observation.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot
  • The condition of the nervous system in chorea presents another illustration.

    Insanity | Henry Putnam Stearns
  • A worker in a sweet-factory was injured by the strap of the motor falling on her head, and suffered from shock and chorea.

    Women in Modern Industry | B. L. Hutchins

British Dictionary definitions for chorea

chorea

/ (kɒˈrɪə) /


noun
  1. a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by uncontrollable irregular brief jerky movements: See Huntington's disease, Sydenham's chorea

Origin of chorea

1
C19: from New Latin, from Latin: dance, from Greek khoreia, from khoros dance; see chorus

Derived forms of chorea

  • choreal or choreic, adjective

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