psittacosis

psit·ta·co·sis

noun \ˌsi-tə-ˈkō-səs\

Definition of PSITTACOSIS

: an infectious disease of birds caused by a bacterium (Chlamydia psittaci), marked by diarrhea and wasting, and transmissible to humans in whom it occurs as a flu-like illness often accompanied by pneumonia —called also ornithosis, parrot fever

— psit·ta·co·tic \-ˈkä-tik, -ˈkō-\ adjective

Origin of PSITTACOSIS

New Latin, from Latin psittacus

First Known Use: 1897

Rhymes with PSITTACOSIS

brucellosis, cyanosis, dermatosis, diagnosis, halitosis, heterosis, keratosis, scoliosis, silicosis, symbiosis