syphilis

American  

[sif-uh-lis] / ˈsɪf ə lɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic infectious disease, caused by a spirochete, Treponema pallidum, usually venereal in origin but often congenital, and affecting almost any organ or tissue in the body, especially the genitals, skin, mucous membranes, aorta, brain, liver, bones, and nerves.

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syphilis British  

/ ˈsɪfɪlɪs, ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. a venereal disease caused by infection with the microorganism Treponema pallidum: characterized by an ulcerating chancre, usually on the genitals and progressing through the lymphatic system to nearly all tissues of the body, producing serious clinical manifestations

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syphilis Scientific  

/ sĭf′ə-lĭs /

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum that is characterized in its primary stage by genital sores. If untreated, skin ulcers develop in the next stage, called secondary syphilis. As the disease progresses to potentially fatal tertiary syphilis, neurologic involvement with weakness and skeletal or cardiovascular damage can occur.

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syphilis Cultural  

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by a microorganism. In its initial stages (called primary syphilis), it is manifested by a skin ulcer called a chancre. If the disease is not treated by penicillin or other antibiotics, the infection becomes chronic. In so-called tertiary syphilis, virtually any tissue in the body can be damaged, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The disease, if left untreated, can cause blindness, mental illness, and death.

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Other Word Forms

• syphilitic
  adjective
• syphilitically
  adverb
• syphiloid
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of syphilis

< New Latin, coined by Giovanni Fracastoro (1478–1553), Italian physician and poet, in his 1530 Latin poem Syphilis, sive morbus Gallicus (“Syphilis, or the French Disease”), an early account of syphilis

Example Sentences

Syphilis is not a complicated disease to treat: it just needs penicillin.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2025

Syphilis, once nearly eliminated in the United States, continues to resurge, reaching the highest rate of new infections recorded since 1950, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

Syphilis can sometimes be treated with one shot of antibiotics, but if the disease is more advanced it can take three shots given roughly a week apart.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

Syphilis caused 282 stillbirth and infant deaths, nearly 16 times more than the 2012 deaths.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023

Syphilis is much more chronic than gonorrhea and commences with a small sore indurated at its base and called the hard chancre.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste

Related Words

• AIDS
• acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• gonorrhea
• herpes
• the clap
• venereal disease