dysentery

[ dis-uhn-ter-ee ]

/ ˈdɪs ənˌtɛr i /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for dysentery on Thesaurus.com

noun

Pathology. an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea that becomes mucous and hemorrhagic.

diarrhea.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dysentery

1350–1400; <Medieval Latin dysenteria<Greek, equivalent to dysénter(a) bad bowels (see dys-, enteron) + -ia-ia; replacing Middle English dissenterie<Old French

OTHER WORDS FROM dysentery

dys·en·ter·ic, adjectivepost·dys·en·ter·ic, adjective

Words nearby dysentery

dysbarism, dysbindin, dyscalculia, dyschronogenic, dyscrasia, dysentery, dysergia, dysesthesia, dysfluency, dysfunction, dysfunctional

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dysentery in a sentence

The player is tasked with making important decisions along the way, including choosing the best path, when to hunt and how to avoid illnesses such as dysentery.
From ‘Oregon Trail’ to ‘Uncharted,’ video games make history fun|Julio Capó Jr.|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
I could do everything right—become a banker, shoot all my food, keep my family warm—and still, LucyKat932 would die from dysentery.
‘The Oregon Trail’ Isn’t Just a Game. It’s an American Legacy.|klindsey|December 9, 2021|Outside Online
Lice, which spread typhus, were endemic, but perhaps the most infamous and preventable infections and diseases of the time were dysentery and typhoid fever.
As U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Top the Civil War’s Toll, We're Repeating Disease History|Rachel Lance|August 14, 2021|Time
Fewer officers died of dysentery because they were in less crowded encampments, had access to cleaner water and, at least according to their own accounts, had better hygiene.
As U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Top the Civil War’s Toll, We're Repeating Disease History|Rachel Lance|August 14, 2021|Time

In the 18th century, German immigrants coming to Pennsylvania boarded ships plagued with typhus, dysentery, smallpox, and scurvy.
At Least Two ‘Border Kids’ Have Swine Flu|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I got drunk, sunstroke, and dysentery,” laughs Robert, “but I also got the girl.
The Second Life of San Miguel de Allende|Michele Willens|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She ended up in prison on the island of Saipan where she either was executed or died of dysentery.
8 Crazy Conspiracy Theories About Aviator Amelia Earhart’s Demise|Jake Heller|March 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At last, 17 days after he left his summer palace, His Holiness, seriously ill with dysentery, crossed the Indian border.
The Dalai Lama's Great Escape|Stephan Talty|December 31, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But he had gone away, on account of the deaths which had occurred there from some form of dysentery.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Stools composed almost wholly of mucus and streaked with blood are the rule in dysentery, ileocolitis, and intussusception.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Its internal uses are in hysteria, and 136 in such conditions as diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various
Before that they were all crammed into the six cells, and locked in for the night, some of them with dysentery.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
The most common complaint is a dysentery, towards the latter end of the autumn.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney

British Dictionary definitions for dysentery

dysentery

/ (ˈdɪsəntrɪ) /

noun

infection of the intestine with bacteria or amoebae, marked chiefly by severe diarrhoea with the passage of mucus and blood

Derived forms of dysentery

dysenteric (ˌdɪsənˈtɛrɪk), adjective

Word Origin for dysentery

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

Scientific definitions for dysentery

dysentery

[ dĭs′ən-tĕr′ē ]

A gastrointestinal disease characterized by severe, often bloody diarrhea, usually caused by infection with bacteria or parasites.

Cultural definitions for dysentery

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.

notes for dysentery

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.

dysentery

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of dysentery

OTHER WORDS FROM dysentery

Words nearby dysentery

Words related to dysentery

How to use dysentery in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dysentery

Derived forms of dysentery

Word Origin for dysentery

Scientific definitions for dysentery

Cultural definitions for dysentery

notes for dysentery