syphilis Hear it!

syphilis Definition

syphi·lis (sif′ə lis)

noun

an infectious venereal disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidum) and usually transmitted by sexual intercourse or acquired congenitally: if untreated, it can ultimately lead to the degeneration of the heart, bones, nerve tissue, etc.

Etymology: ModL < Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus, lit., Syphilis or the French disease, title of a poem (1530) by Girolamo Fracastoro: after the hero Syphilus, a shepherd

syphilis Related Forms

syph′i·lit′ic adjective, noun

syphilis Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • treat: The school of thought at the time was to treat syphilis with a substance called guaiac.
  • contract: How could this test be used to diagnose whether this patient has contracted syphilis?
  • have: He's had syphilis of the central nervous system.
  • include: These include syphilis, herpes, genital warts, and thrush.
  • increase: In 2003 cases of genital warts increased by 2 % and syphilis increased by 28 % .
  • cause: However, the infection remains in the body and can spread, causing secondary syphilis to develop.

Adjective modifier

  • congenital: Cases of congenital syphilis declined from around 1,000 in 1997 to around 500 last year.
  • untreated: Women with untreated syphilis may transmit the disease to unborn children, which can result in death or deformity of the child.
  • tertiary: Maybe it's a good idea then we would know whether his apparent poor decision making is due to tertiary syphilis or not.
  • infectious: A pregnant woman with infectious syphilis can pass the infection to her fetus via the placenta or during birth.
  • secondary: However, the infection remains in the body and can spread, causing secondary syphilis to develop.
  • venereal: The theory that the King suffered from the venereal disease syphilis, was first put forward about a century after his death.

Modifies a noun

  • antibody: Diagnosis is typically based on a blood test, which looks for the presence of syphilis antibodies in the blood.
  • outbreak: A major factor contributing to the national increase has been the Manchester syphilis outbreak ( Clark et al, 2001 ).
  • infection: However, without treatment, the syphilis infection will continue to progress.
  • case: Over 60,000 new syphilis cases were reported in 1995 alone.
  • bacterium: This type of microscope is specifically designed to highlight the syphilis bacteria.
  • diagnosis: Tests In primary syphilis diagnoses can be made by microscopy of the discharge or even aspirating fluid from the enlarged lymph glands.

Noun used with modifier

  • rabbit: Rabbit pox Rabbit pox is a viral disease that closely mimics rabbit syphilis.
  • hare: Finally, hare number 10 had " Nostril lesions suggestive of hare syphilis " .