chlamydia

American  

[kluh-mid-ee-uh] / kləˈmɪd i ə /

noun

plural

chlamydiae

1. Microbiology. any coccoid rickettsia of the genus Chlamydia, parasitic in birds and mammals, including humans, and causing various infections, especially of the eyes, as trachoma, lungs, as psittacosis, and genitourinary tract, as urethritis or chlamydia.

2. Also called lymphogranuloma venereum.  Pathology. a widespread, often asymptomatic sexually transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, a major cause of nongonococcal urethritis in men and pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy in women.

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chlamydia British  

/ kləˈmɪdɪə /

noun

1. any Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Chlamydia , which are obligate intracellular parasites and are responsible for such diseases as trachoma, psittacosis, and some sexually transmitted diseases

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chlamydia Scientific  

/ klə-mĭd′ē-ə /

plural

chlamydiae

1. Any of various bacteria of the genus Chlamydia, several species of which cause common infections in humans and animals, including neonatal conjunctivitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis, and sexually transmitted infections of the pelvis and urethra.

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Etymology

Origin of chlamydia

First recorded in 1945 in an article by Helen Jones, Geoffrey Rake, and Barbara Stearns as the proposed name of a taxon; 1966 in the current sense; from New Latin, from Greek chlamyd- (stem of chlamýs chlamys ) + New Latin -ia -ia

Compare meaning

How does chlamydia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• chlamydia vs. gonorrhea

Example Sentences

And there was: There had been some progress, with oxytetracycline, OTC for short, a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat chlamydia and sometimes syphilis in humans.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The rates of chlamydia remained about the same in 2023 as the year prior.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025

And crucially, the study found that the koalas that did contract chlamydia were doing so later in life, after their peak breeding years had begun.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

A veterinary nurse treats a koala infected with chlamydia at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital in Currumbin, Australia.Credit...

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2024

While cases of other STIs, like chlamydia and gonorrhea, have decreased or seen modest increases, syphilis has jumped 80% in the four years from 2018 to 2022.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024

Related Words

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