leprosy Hear it!

leprosy definition

lep·rosy (lep′rə sē)

noun

a progressive infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) that attacks the skin, flesh, nerves, etc.; it is characterized by nodules, ulcers, white scaly scabs, deformities, and the eventual loss of sensation, and is apparently communicated only after long and close contact

Etymology: ME leprūsē < leprus, lepros: see leprous

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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