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

Ibn Sori died of cholera shortly after gaining his freedom, and at least seven of his children remained enslaved in Mississippi. —Leila Tarakji, The Conversation, 17 June 2026

Before Haussmann’s works began in 1853, Paris was a dangerous and unsanitary medieval city, plagued by open-air sewers, poor living conditions, and cholera outbreaks. —Roberto Prieto, Variety, 16 June 2026

Responses to a host of diseases, including malaria, cholera, and Ebola, would benefit from the system being in place, said the global health workers who spoke to STAT. —Daniel Payne, STAT, 19 May 2026

Haffkine, little known to the general public, was the Ukrainian-Jewish scientist whose work on cholera and plague vaccines in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries helped save millions of lives. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 May 2026

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