tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

tyu̇-

plural tuberculoses tu̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-ˌsēz 

tyu̇-

: a highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium (Mycobacterium bovis), that affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (such as the kidney or spinal column), and that is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusions, and fibrosis

Examples of tuberculosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

De Brunhoff was just 12 when his father died of tuberculosis, in 1937, having published five books for the series. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024

The history of tuberculosis: from the first historical records to the isolation of Koch's bacillus. —Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024

In 2018, confronting shortages of various drugs to treat tuberculosis, the CDC created a small stockpile of them. —Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 4 Mar. 2024

Wearing gloves while field dressing deer is a good way to prevent catching bovine tuberculosis. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024

In Tanzania, Mushi and her collaborators are unlocking the mysteries of a mold (fungus) that infects patients who have already contracted the bacterial disease tuberculosis. —Andrew Wight, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

Generally, more than 200 Californians die from tuberculosis every year, state officials say. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024

The business supported her family and husband, who suffered from tuberculosis. —Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024

That month, the family buried her brain, collected by the institution after her death from tuberculosis in 1933, in her grave in Seattle. —Claire Healy, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

: a disease of human beings and some other vertebrates caused by a bacterium and usually marked by wasting, fever, and formation of cheesy tubercles that in human beings occur mostly in the lungs

tuberculous

t(y)u̇-ˈbər-kyə-ləs

adjective

Medical Definition

tuberculosis

noun

tu·​ber·​cu·​lo·​sis t(y)u̇-ˌbər-kyə-ˈlō-səs 

plural tuberculoses -ˌsēz 

: a usually chronic highly variable disease that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis) and rarely in the United States by a related mycobacterium (M. bovis), is usually communicated by inhalation of the airborne causative agent, affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (as the kidney or spinal column) from local lesions or by way of the lymph or blood vessels, and is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, inflammatory infiltrations, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusion, and fibrosis

called also TB