dysentery
[dis-uh n-ter-ee]
Show More
Origin of dysentery
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dysentery
Contemporary Examples
In the 18th century, German immigrants coming to Pennsylvania boarded ships plagued with typhus, dysentery, smallpox, and scurvy.
I got drunk, sunstroke, and dysentery,” laughs Robert, “but I also got the girl.
She ended up in prison on the island of Saipan where she either was executed or died of dysentery.
At last, 17 days after he left his summer palace, His Holiness, seriously ill with dysentery, crossed the Indian border.
Historical Examples
Diarrhœa and dysentery were already sending many of them from the Peninsula.
With Manchesters in the EastGerald B. Hurst
Burn and Bryan left it with dysentery; Morten with a poisoned hand.
With Manchesters in the EastGerald B. Hurst
This form is often seen in the more severe types of summer dysentery.
The Mother and Her ChildWilliam S. Sadler
Dysentery was also increasing, and wards were reserved for these cases.
In MesopotamiaMartin Swayne
May not this disease be referred to aphtha, or to dysentery?
Zoonomia, Vol. IIErasmus Darwin
dysentery
- infection of the intestine with bacteria or amoebae, marked chiefly by severe diarrhoea with the passage of mucus and blood
Show More
Word Origin
C14: via Latin from Greek dusenteria, from dusentera, literally: bad bowels, from dys- + enteron intestine
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for dysentery
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dysentery
(dĭs′ən-tĕr′ē)- An inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract, usually caused by a bacterial, parasitic, or protozoan infection and resulting in pain, fever, and severe diarrhea, often accompanied by the passage of blood and mucus.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
dysentery
[dĭs′ən-tĕr′ē]
- A gastrointestinal disease characterized by severe, often bloody diarrhea, usually caused by infection with bacteria or parasites.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
dysentery
[(dis-uhn-ter-ee)]
A painful disease of the intestines characterized by inflammation and diarrhea. Dysentery may be caused by bacteria or viruses, or may occur as the result of infestation by an amoeba.
Show More
Note
Dysentery can be transmitted by contact with water or food that has been contaminated by human waste. Public health and sanitation procedures in developed countries, however, have largely eliminated this means of transmission.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.