sleeping sickness
Americannoun
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Also called African sleeping sickness, African trypanosomiasis. a generally fatal disease, common in parts of Africa, characterized by fever, wasting, and progressive lethargy: caused by a parasitic protozoan, Trypanosoma gambiense or T. rhodesiense, that is carried by a tsetse fly, Glossina palpalis.
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Also called epidemic encephalitis, lethargic encephalitis. a viral disease affecting the brain, characterized by apathy, sleepiness, extreme muscular weakness, and impairment of vision.
noun
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Also called: African sleeping sickness. an African disease caused by infection with protozoans of the genus Trypanosoma, characterized by fever, wasting, and sluggishness
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Technical name: encephalitis lethargica. Also called (esp formerly): sleepy sickness. an epidemic viral form of encephalitis characterized by extreme drowsiness
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An often fatal protozoan infection prevalent in tropical Africa, caused by either of two trypanosomes spread by the bite of the tsetse fly and characterized by fever and extreme lethargy.
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Encephalitis that is caused by any of various viruses and is characterized by lethargy and extreme muscular weakness.
Etymology
Origin of sleeping sickness
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
It has been used to treat West African sleeping sickness, a chronic illness spread by the tsetse fly.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026
You talk about the labor impact of sleeping sickness.
From Salon ● May 8, 2025
With Death’s capture, millions are suddenly affected by a strange sleeping sickness: either unable to sleep or basically in a coma.
From The Verge ● Aug. 5, 2022
It was known how the APOL1 protein protected against sleeping sickness — it punched holes in the disease-causing trypanosomes, making them swell with fluid and burst.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2022
As it was, the poor animals had to be given injections to treat animal sleeping sickness every few weeks.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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