diphtheria
NounUS[dif-thir-ee-ah]/dɪfˈθɪriɑ/4 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
- acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathingType of contagious disease, contagion
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Diph·the′ri·a noun
Origin: NL., fr. Gr. … leather (hence taken in the sense of membrane): cf. … to make soft, L. depsere to knead.
Medicine A very dangerous contagious disease in which the air passages, and especially the throat, become coated with a false membrane, produced by the solidification of an inflammatory exudation. Cf. Group.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54