pertussis
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pertussis
1790–1800; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin per- per- + tussis a cough
Explanation
Pertussis is an illness that causes severe coughing, which can last for weeks or even months. Luckily, there is a vaccine for babies that protects them from getting pertussis. Pertussis is more commonly known as whooping cough for the distinctive, gasping "whoop" sound made during a coughing fit. Pertussis is highly contagious and especially dangerous for very young children and babies, who can stop breathing. The vaccine is very effective at preventing pertussis, although booster shots need to be given over time. Pertussis comes from per-, "thoroughly, and tussis, "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.
The twins had received vaccines for hepatitis A, influenza, and DTaP, which includes diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines, during their 18-month wellness visit at their pediatrician’s office in April 2025, according to the civil suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Pasadena is investigating a pertussis outbreak at the Don Benito Fundamental School that has so far infected four, officials said Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
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, also known as pertussis, is a contagious respiratory illness, but it is preventable with a common vaccine.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2024
Against other illnesses, though—including measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, and the now defeated smallpox—our antibodies stimulated by one infection confer lifelong immunity.
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.
