disease

[dih-zeez]

noun

1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

   Synonyms: malady, disorder, infirmity, indisposition, distemper, derangement, complaint, morbidity
   Antonyms: health

2. any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.

3. any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society.

   His fascination with executions is a disease.

4. decomposition of a material under special circumstances.

   tin disease.

verb (used with object)

diseased, diseasing 

1. to affect with disease; make ill.

   Antonyms: cure

disease

/ dɪˈziːz /

noun

1. any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc, producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general

2. a corresponding condition in plants

3. any situation or condition likened to this

   the disease of materialism

Other Word Forms

• diseasedly adverb
• diseasedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disease¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English disese, from Anglo-French dese(a)se, disaise; dis- ¹ + ease

Word History and Origins

Origin of disease¹

C14: from Old French desaise; see _dis- ¹ , _ease

Example Sentences

She said she was determined to break down "outdated stereotypes" about the disease.

Read more on BBC

A public hospital, however, supplies free medication for my autoimmune disease.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And researchers have been discovering a growing list of additional health benefits for the drugs, such as preventing heart attacks, alleviating sleep apnea and treating liver disease.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He also candidly relates his struggles with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, a rare kind of neuromuscular disease that led to his use of a wheelchair.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is one of two units in the same building that have been owned by Ozzy—who died in July from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease at the age of 76—and his family.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• Cancer 
• bug 
• condition 
• contamination 
• defect 
• disorder 
• epidemic 
• fever 
• flu 
• illness 
• infection 
• inflammation 
• malady 
• plague 
• sickness 
• stroke 
• syndrome 
• virus