View synonyms for syphilis

syphilis

[ sif-uh-lis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Pathology.

a chronic infectious disease, caused by a spirochete, Treponema pallidum, usually venereal in origin but often congenital, and affecting almost any organ or tissue in the body, especially the genitals, skin, mucous membranes, aorta, brain, liver, bones, and nerves.

syphilis

/ ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk; ˈsɪfɪlɪs /

noun

a venereal disease caused by infection with the microorganism Treponema pallidum: characterized by an ulcerating chancre, usually on the genitals and progressing through the lymphatic system to nearly all tissues of the body, producing serious clinical manifestations

syphilis

/ sĭf′ə-lĭs /

A sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum that is characterized in its primary stage by genital sores. If untreated, skin ulcers develop in the next stage, called secondary syphilis. As the disease progresses to potentially fatal tertiary syphilis, neurologic involvement with weakness and skeletal or cardiovascular damage can occur.

syphilis

A sexually transmitted disease caused by a microorganism . In its initial stages (called primary syphilis), it is manifested by a skin ulcer called a chancre. If the disease is not treated by penicillin or other antibiotics , the infection becomes chronic. In so-called tertiary syphilis, virtually any tissue in the body can be damaged, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems . The disease, if left untreated, can cause blindness, mental illness, and death.

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˌsyphiˈlitically, adverb
ˈsyphiˌloid, adjective
syphilitic, adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of syphilis¹

< New Latin, coined by Giovanni Fracastoro (1478–1553), Italian physician and poet, in his 1530 Latin poem Syphilis, sive morbus Gallicus (“Syphilis, or the French Disease”), an early account of syphilis

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of syphilis¹

C18: from New Latin Syphilis ( sive Morbus Gallicus ) ``Syphilis (or the French disease)'', title of a poem (1530) by G. Fracastoro, Italian physician and poet, in which a shepherd Syphilus is portrayed as the first victim of the disease

Discover More

Example Sentences

In a recent conversation, he told me that Peaches was inspired by Eunice Evers the nurse in David Feldshuh’s play “Miss Evers’ Boys’” about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

From Washington Blade

States in the South and West have seen the highest syphilis rates in recent years.

From ProPublica

Talk to the pediatricians, obstetricians and families on the front lines of the congenital syphilis surge and it becomes clear why Yang and others are trying so desperately to prevent cases.

From ProPublica

Syphilis is very common in the hill country in the north-east of the province.

From Project Gutenberg

Syphilis has, of course, been extensively introduced among all the tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

Some depend on a contagious virus, communicable from one person to another, as Syphilis.

From Project Gutenberg

The second order contains those that are used in the several forms of Syphilis.

From Project Gutenberg

We are seldom able by such means to reduce the size of a tumour, unless it depends on a blood-disorder, as Syphilis or Scrofula.

From Project Gutenberg