dysentery

noun

dys·en·tery ˈdi-sᵊn-ˌter-ē

-ˌte-rē

plural dysenteries

Synonyms of dysentery next

: a disease characterized by severe diarrhea with passage of mucus and blood and usually caused by infection

: diarrhea

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Since then, experts have used copper in countless applications, from stunting mildew growth on wine grapes to treating dysentery in World War II soldiers. —

Jason P. Dinh, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2022 Bacterial infections such as tuberculosis and dysentery, as well as smallpox and other contagious viruses, were common killers. —

Markham Heid, Time, 6 Dec. 2022 He was held captive for 28 months and suffered from starvation and dysentery. —

Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2022 Cabreúvas produce a resin that is believed to help treat scabies, dysentery and urinary infections. —

Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2022 Microorganisms carried by roaches have been linked to dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, leprosy, typhoid fever, plague and viral diseases like polio. —

Caitlin Mclean, USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2022 As the floodwater slowly recedes, a new disaster is emerging as tens of thousands grapple with diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, dengue fever and malaria. —

Sophia Saifi, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022 Guests hoping to encounter the spirits of former boarders may run into the 8-year-old twin boys who died of dysentery at the inn. —

Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 18 Oct. 2022 Nearly a million people, a quarter of them children, have been displaced, forced to live in temporary shelters where malaria, dengue and dysentery are rife. —

Aung Naing Soe, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dysentery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dissenterie, borrowed from Latin dysenteria (Medieval Latin desintiria, dissenteria), borrowed from Greek dysentería, from dys- dys- + éntera (neuter plural) "intestines" + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at inter-