disease

American  

[dih-zeez] / dɪˈziz /

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 British  

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of disease

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

Example Sentences

Because of this belief, most scientific efforts have focused on preventing the disease or slowing its progression, rather than attempting to restore lost brain function.

From Science Daily

Genes may shape not only an individual's disease risk, but also the disease risk of people around them.

From Science Daily

However, the intended effectiveness of the flu vaccine against symptomatic disease caused by the new subvariant remains uncertain, the World Health Organization said.

From Los Angeles Times

The charity has warned of the risk of the "spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera and measles, and a catastrophic increase of malaria cases" among vulnerable people.

From BBC

They find that others still prefer to keep their distance, despite the fact that the disease isn’t spread through casual contact and 95% of people are naturally immune.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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