leishmania

[ leesh-man-ee-uh, -mey-nee-uh, lahysh- ]

/ liʃˈmæn i ə, -ˈmeɪ ni ə, laɪʃ- /

noun

any parasitic flagellate protozoan of the genus Leishmania, occurring in vertebrates in an oval or spherical, nonflagellate form, and in invertebrates in an elongated, flagellated form.

Nearby words

leiomyosarcoma, leipoa, leipzig, leiria, leishman-donovan body, leishmania, leishmania aethiopica, leishmania braziliensis, leishmania donovani, leishmania mexicana, leishmania tropica

Origin of leishmania

< New Latin (1903), after William Boog Leishman (1865–1926), Scottish bacteriologist; see -ia

Related formsleish·man·i·al, leish·man·ic

[leesh-man-ik, lahysh-] /liʃˈmæn ɪk, laɪʃ-/, leish·man·i·oid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for leishmania

leishmania

/ (liːʃˈmeɪnɪə) /

noun

any parasitic flagellate protozoan of the genus Leishmania : infects humans and animals and causes diseases ranging from skin lesions to potentially fatal organ damage

Word Origin for leishmania

C20: New Latin, named after Sir W.B. Leishman (1865–1926), Scottish bacteriologist

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

Medicine definitions for leishmania

Leishmania

[ lēsh-măn′ē-ə, -mā′nē-ə ]

n.

A genus of flagellate protozoa, several species of which cause leishmanisis; all species are indistinguishable morphologically but may be separated by their serological reactions, by their geographic distribution, by their developmental patterns in their sandfly hosts, and by their clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis.