African sleeping sickness

noun

: sleeping sickness sense 1
African sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei, gradually brings on devastating neurological symptoms that affect the sleep cycle.—C. Brownlee

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of African sleeping sickness was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near African sleeping sickness

African school

African sleeping sickness

African snail

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“African sleeping sickness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/African%20sleeping%20sickness. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

African sleeping sickness

noun
: sleeping sickness sense 1

Medical Definition

African sleeping sickness

noun
: sleeping sickness sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cavalcade

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Love It or Hate It

  • heart-fire
  • When asked about her blind date, Carol spoke for hours with vitriol.
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games