syphilis

Noun
Synonyms: syphpoxlues venerealues

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)Synonyms: syphpoxlues venerealues
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

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. [1913 Webster]
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