Hansen's disease
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Hansen's disease
1935–40; named after G. H. Hansen (1841–1912), Norwegian physician and discoverer of leprosy-causing Mycobacterium leprae
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.
Leprosy, a bacterial infection also known as Hansen’s disease, has been curable by a combination of antibiotics since 1981, and the facility closed in 1999.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
A cure for Hansen’s disease was found in the mid-20th century.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
In fact, leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is extremely rare in the United States.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2023
Its weather-worn headstones were a reminder of how, in the not-too-distant past, Hansen's disease was a death sentence.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2023
This medicine, “the miracle of Carville,” was a breakthrough in the treatment of Hansen’s disease.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
