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bejel

American  
[bej-uhl] / ˈbɛdʒ əl /

noun

Pathology.

  1. a nonvenereal syphilis occurring mainly among children in certain subtropical areas of southern Africa and southeastern Asia, caused by the spirochete strain Treponema pallidum endemicum.

Etymology

Origin of bejel

First recorded in 1925–30, bejel is from the Arabic word bajl

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Each causes a different disease: syphilis, yaws, and bejel.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

While syphilis as a venereal disease presents a global health risk, bejel, which is spread by skin contact, only occurs today in very arid regions of Africa and Asia.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.