dysentery

noun dys·en·tery \ ˈdi-sᵊn-ˌter-ē , -ˌte-rē \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of dysentery

plural dysenteries

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

2 : diarrhea

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Recent Examples of dysentery from the Web

Malaria, cholera, dysentery and other diseases were an ever-present threat in these tropical islands.

— neelima vallangi, Smithsonian, "India’s Abandoned Island of Colonial Horror," 8 May 2018
In Matlab, a part of Bangladesh with good data, deaths from diarrhoea and dysentery have dropped by about 90% since the early 1990s (see chart).

— The Economist, "How Bangladesh vanquished diarrhoea," 22 Mar. 2018
As many as half a million children are thought to die every year from enteric diseases, including cholera and dysentery.

— The Economist, "Bangladesh shows how to keep children alive," 22 Mar. 2018
The food — rice, potato stew and boiled roots — gave him diarrhea and dysentery.

— adam goldman, New York Times, "He Turned on Al Qaeda and Aided the U.S. Now He’s on Food Stamps and Needs a Job.," 6 Mar. 2018
The food – rice, potato stew and boiled roots – gave him diarrhea and dysentery.

— adam goldman, miamiherald, "He turned on al-Qaida and helped US kill his friends. He thought he’d get protection | Miami Herald," 7 Mar. 2018
For instance, bacteria that cause cholera, botulism, and dysentery all do so with the help of toxins encoded by prophage.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Never-before-seen viruses that can kill bacteria stream from women’s bladders," 1 Feb. 2018
In October 1971, a six-year-old girl with severe dysentery from poor nutrition and contaminated water was brought to a community health center in Jackson, Mississippi.

— jessica zuo, Philly.com, "What did the Civil Rights era teach us about our health?," 21 Dec. 2017
At the least, the air would have been less toxic, and there might have been lower mortality rates from scurvy, dysentery and typhus.

— a. roger ekirch, WSJ, "Hell Afloat in Wallabout Bay," 22 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of dysentery

Middle English dissenterie, from Latin dysenteria, from Greek, from dys- + enteron intestine — more at inter-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

DYSENTERY Defined for English Language Learners

dysentery

noun

Definition of dysentery for English Language Learners

medical : a serious disease that causes severe diarrhea and a loss of blood

DYSENTERY Defined for Kids

dysentery

noun dys·en·tery \ ˈdi-sᵊn-ˌter-ē \

Definition of dysentery for Students

: a disease marked especially by severe often bloody diarrhea

Medical Dictionary

dysentery

noun dys·en·tery \ ˈdis-ᵊn-ˌter-ē \

medical Definition of dysentery

plural dysenteries

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

2 : diarrhea

Learn More about dysentery

See words that rhyme with dysentery Spanish Central: Translation of dysentery Nglish: Translation of dysentery for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dysentery for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dysentery

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dysentery

Definition of dysentery

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DYSENTERY Defined for English Language Learners

dysentery

Definition of dysentery for English Language Learners

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dysentery

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dysentery

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