cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkä-lə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms

especially : an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by a comma-shaped gram-negative bacillus (Vibrio cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal (see proximal sense 2) part of the human small intestine

Examples of cholera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a cholera epidemic broke out there, killing some fifty thousand people, the international relief community hastened to provide the Hutu refugees with food, shelter, and medical care. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

In Uganda, during a recent cholera outbreak near a border area, disease detectives met 7-1-7 targets, showing that faster action can stop outbreaks. —Tom Frieden, Scientific American, 21 Nov. 2025

Mary Lennox was sound asleep while nearly everyone in her house died from cholera. —Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

The main action of Last Samurai Standing takes place in 1878 as cholera sweeps the nation. —Kayti Burt, Time, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, "acute gastroenteritis," borrowed from Greek choléra — more at choler

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cholera

• Asiatic cholera
• cholera morbus
• hog cholera

Kids Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases usually marked by severe vomiting and diarrhea

Medical Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms: as

a

: an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by various strains of a comma-shaped gram-negative bacterium of the genus Vibrio (V. cholerae) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal part of the human small intestine see asiatic cholera

b

: fowl cholera

c

: hog cholera

choleraic

ˌkäl-ə-ˈrā-ik 

adjective