dysentery

noun

dys·​en·​tery ˈdi-sᵊn-ˌter-ē 

-ˌte-rē

plural dysenteries

1

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

2

: diarrhea

Examples of dysentery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Anyone who spent their childhood playing the Oregon Trail video game knows that a persistent danger of the time period in which the game takes place was dying of dysentery. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024

Fewer than half of the territory's hospitals and clinics remain operational and are overwhelmed with the injured, with aid agencies reporting that doctors are struggling to treat a huge caseload of dysentery and pneumonia. —Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 31 Aug. 2024

Vicious fighting occurred in gruesome conditions, with soldiers suffering from malaria, dengue fever, dysentery and tropical ulcers in a rain-sodden labyrinth so dense that those who left the trail were often never seen again. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024

Such testing is critical to fighting waterborne illnesses such as dysentery and typhoid fever. —Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 26 July 2024

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-

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dysentery

• amebic dysentery

Kids Definition

dysentery

noun

dys·​en·​tery ˈdis-ən-ˌter-ē 

1

: a disease characterized by severe diarrhea with passage of mucus and blood from the bowels

2

: diarrhea

Medical Definition

dysentery

noun

dys·​en·​tery ˈdis-ᵊn-ˌter-ē 

plural dysenteries

1

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

2

: diarrhea