syphilis

noun

syph·​i·​lis ˈsi-f(ə-)ləs 

: a chronic contagious usually venereal and often congenital disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidum) and if left untreated producing chancres, rashes, and systemic lesions in a clinical course with three stages continued over many years compare primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis

syphilitic

ˌsi-fə-ˈli-tik 

adjective or noun

Examples of syphilis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The decades-long study, performed by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, observed the long-term effects of syphilis in hundreds of impoverished Black men between 1932 and 1972. —Alexa Jurado, Journal Sentinel, 27 Dec. 2022

Cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs when a mother passes on the disease to her baby during pregnancy, spiked 15% from about 1,900 in 2019 to more than 2,100. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2022

For example, congenital syphilis can interrupt tooth formation. —Charlotte Hu, Discover Magazine, 16 Sep. 2018

The medical field is working to rebuild trust with communities that have been wronged by events such as the Tuskegee syphilis experiments and the treatment of Henrietta Lacks. —Donovan J. Thomas, ajc, 10 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Syphilus, hero of the poem Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus (Syphilis or the French disease) (1530) by Girolamo Fracastoro †1553 Italian poet and physician

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing syphilis

• primary syphilis
• secondary syphilis
• tertiary syphilis

Kids Definition

syphilis

noun

syph·​i·​lis ˈsif-(ə-)ləs 

: a venereal disease that is caused by a spirochete and if left untreated is marked by a series of three stages extending over many years

syphilitic

ˌsif-ə-ˈlit-ik 

adjective or noun

Medical Definition

syphilis

noun

syph·​i·​lis ˈsif-(ə-)ləs 

: a chronic contagious usually venereal and often congenital disease that is caused by a spirochete of the genus Treponema (T. pallidum) and if left untreated produces chancres, rashes, and systemic lesions in a clinical course with three stages continued over many years

called also lues

see primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis