cholera

[kol-er-uh]

noun

1. Also called Asiatic cholera. Pathology.,  an acute, infectious disease, endemic in India and China and occasionally epidemic elsewhere, characterized by profuse diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, etc.

2. Veterinary Pathology.,  any of several diseases of domesticated animals that are characterized by depression, sleepiness, lack of appetite, and diarrhea.

cholera

/ ˈkɒlərə /

noun

1. Also called: Asiatic cholera.  epidemic cholera.  Indian cholera. an acute intestinal infection characterized by severe diarrhoea, cramp, etc: caused by ingestion of water or food contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio comma

cholera

1. An infectious, sometimes fatal disease of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is spread from contaminated water and food and causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration.

cholera

1. An acute disease, and an infectious disease, caused by a kind of bacterium that affects the intestines. Transmitted by food or water that has been contaminated with raw sewage, cholera is often fatal and is characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse.

Other Word Forms

• choleraic adjective
• choleroid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cholera¹

First recorded in 1600–05 in sense “gastrointestinal disease” and in 1800–05 for its current meaning cholera ( def. 1 ); from Latin: “disease caused by bile,” from Greek choléra; choler

Word History and Origins

Origin of cholera¹

C14: from Latin, from Greek kholera jaundice, from kholē bile

Example Sentences

The project was never completed, and a subsequent cholera outbreak in the area killed at least 20 people.

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Doctors have said Gaza has high rates of diarrhoeal diseases, which can kill children, and a risk of cholera in some areas.

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Life is safer in the crowded camps, but they are stalked by disease - most deadly of all: cholera.

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In addition to famine conditions, aid groups have warned of a cholera outbreak in Darfur.

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Nearly a decade later, in fact, there are hundreds of thousands of new cases of cholera in Yemen each year and hundreds of annual deaths, making up more than a third of all cases globally.

Read more on Salon