browse words by letter
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
syphilis |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Syphilis \Syph"i*lis\, n. [NL., fr Syphilus, the name of a shepherd in the Latin poem of Fracastoro ``Syphilus, sive Morbus Gallicus,'' which was published in 1530; Gr ? hog, swine + ? dear, loving. The term was introduced into nosology by Sauvages.] (Med.) The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under {Primary}, {Secondary}, and {Tertiary}. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: syphilis n : a common venereal disease caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta) [syn: {syph}, {pox}]
more about syphilis