syphilis

One entry found for syphilis.

Main Entry: syph·i·lis
Pronunciation: 'si-f(&-)l&s
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Syphilus, hero of the poem Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus (Syphilis or the French disease) (1530) by Girolamo Fracastoro died 1553 Italian poet and physician
: a chronic contagious usually venereal and often congenital disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidum) and if left untreated producing chancres, rashes, and systemic lesions in a clinical course with three stages continued over many years -- compare PRIMARY SYPHILIS, SECONDARY SYPHILIS, TERTIARY SYPHILIS
- syph·i·lit·ic /"si-f&-'li-tik/ adjective or noun