pertussis
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- pertussal adjective
Etymology
Origin of pertussis
1790–1800; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin per- per- + tussis a cough
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.
Cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, for instance, used to be rare, but are now a monthly occurrence, she said.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attack the upper respiratory system and can cause airways to swell, according to the CDC.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025
The school requires students in seventh grade and above to get their Tdap booster, which provides elevated immunity against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, or whooping cough.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a contagious respiratory illness, but it is preventable with a common vaccine.
From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024
All four of these traits apply to what Americans think of as the familiar acute epidemic diseases of childhood, including measles, rubella, mumps, pertussis, and smallpox.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
