giardia

American

[jee-ahr-dee-uh, jahr-] / dʒiˈɑr di ə, ˈdʒɑr- /

noun

any flagellate of the genus Giardia, parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates.

Etymology

Origin of giardia

< New Latin, named after Alfred M. Giard (died 1908), French biologist; see -ia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“You have a whole system in survival mode,” said Vaughan, who contracted giardia shortly after arriving in Gaza and who ate just once a day because there was so little food.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2025

Giardiasis is an illness caused by the giardia parasite, and can be caused by drinking water that's not been treated to kill germs, according to the NHS.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2022

Swine can harbor dozens of diseases including E. coli, leptospirosis, giardia, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2022

The outlet, citing a person with knowledge, reported that the giardia outbreak caused 40 members of the crew to become "violently ill" with "awful explosive diarrhea."

From Fox News • Jul. 3, 2021

There’s a reason most illnesses that spread through water, like giardia and norovirus, involve diarrhea.

From Slate • May 28, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023