syphilis

[sif-uh-lis] /ˈsɪf ə lɪs/

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.

Compare primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis.

Origin

< Neo-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

Examples from the web for syphilis

The doctor will ask if you have a history of syphilis.
It also produced smallpox and syphilis and potato blight.
It was once used to treat syphilis and applied topically to whiten skin.
The syphilis infection damages the nerves of the brain.
And he had his nose burned away in a botched operation for syphilis.
Untreated syphilis can infect the spinal cord and brain, causing severe nerve damage and dementia.
Screening for syphilis infection in pregnancy: reaffirmation recommendation statement.
syphilis screening is a routine part of prenatal care during pregnancy.
The ones that give syphilis, the ones that grow in throats, and the ones that get implanted into eyes.
The project continued even after an effective treatment for syphilis-penicillin-became available.

British Dictionary definitions for syphilis

syphilis

/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

Derived Forms

syphilitic (ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk) adjective
syphilitically, adverb
syphiloid, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for syphilis

1718, Modern Latin, originally from the title of a poem, "Syphilis, sive Morbus Gallicus" "Syphilis, or the French Disease," 1530, by Veronese doctor Girolamo Fracastoro (1483-1553), which tells the tale of the shepherd Syphilus, supposed to be the first sufferer from the disease. Fracastoro first used the word as a generic term for the disease in 1546 treatise "De Contagione." Why he chose the name is unknown; it may be intended as Latin for "Pig-lover," though there was also a Sipylus, a son of Niobe, in Ovid.

syphilis in Medicine

syphilis syph·i·lis (sĭf'ə-lĭs)
n.
A chronic infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum, either transmitted by direct contact, usually in sexual intercourse, or passed from mother to child in utero, and progressing through three stages characterized respectively by local formation of chancres, ulcerous skin eruptions, and systemic infection that leads to general paresis.

syphilis in Science

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 in Culture

syphilis [(sif-uh-lis)]

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.