cholera

American  

[kol-er-uh] / ˈkɒl ər ə /

noun

• choleras
  plural

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.

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cholera British  

/ 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

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cholera Scientific  

/ kŏl′ər-ə /

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.

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cholera Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• choleraic
  adjective
• choleroid
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• choleras
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cholera

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; see choler

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Explanation

Cholera is a contagious disease that affects the small intestine. In places without safe, clean drinking water, cholera is common and can be deadly, especially for children. This infectious disease is caused by bacteria found in dirty water or food cooked in unsanitary conditions. Around the world, about five million people get cholera each year, mainly in countries that can't afford modern sanitation. Cholera kills about 150,000 annually, many of them very young children. The root of cholera means "bile;" in ancient Greek medicine, choler was one of the four humors and considered to be the cause of "irascibility or temper."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cholera choleras

Since then, it has conducted work to monitor, research and develop treatment for other serious infectious diseases, including cholera, anthrax and brucellosis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The tree was also linked to the 1832 cholera outbreak, with historical records indicating money was deposited there in exchange for food to reduce contact between people.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Congolese authorities are carrying out Ebola and cholera screening for all 255 passengers aboard a boat intercepted on the Congo River.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Ebola had previously been seen in the central African Democratic Republic of Congo, not in west Africa and it was initially misidentified as lassa fever, gastroenteritis or cholera.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Mary’s obsession continued even after five-year-old Pickie died of cholera.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

“Look at the drainage; look at the plagues and fevers and choleras they get here.”

From Yussuf the Guide The Mountain Bandits; Strange Adventure in Asia Minor by John Schonberg

It may not be uninteresting to mention here, that there are no quarantines and no choleras in Bohemia or Hanover.

From Letters on the Cholera Morbus. Containing ample evidence that this disease, under whatever name known, cannot be transmitted from the persons of those labouring under it to other individuals, by contact—through the medium of inanimate substances—or through the medium of the atmosphere; and that all restrictions, by cordons and quarantine regulations, are, as far as regards this disease, not merely useless, but highly injurious to the community. by J. (James) Gillkrest

I've seen two or three choleras, here and there, and a Black Death and a bubonic plague.

From VC — A Chronicle of Castle Barfield and of the Crimea by David Christie Murray

It may be but a subconscious after-vibration in our brain cells from the simoons, the choleras, and the pestilences of our tropical origin as a race.

From Preventable Diseases by Woods Hutchinson

They cause much sickness in their season, creating choleras, cramps, and dysenteries.

From The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual by William Kitchiner

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