sleeping sickness
[ slee-ping sik-nis ]
/ ˈsli pɪŋ ˌsɪk nɪs /
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noun Pathology.
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.
Also called epidemic encephalitis, lethargic encephalitis . a viral disease affecting the brain, characterized by apathy, sleepiness, extreme muscular weakness, and impairment of vision.
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First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Formerly (British), sleep·y sick·ness .
Origin of sleeping sickness
First recorded in 1870–75
Words nearby sleeping sickness
sleeping draught, sleeping partner, sleeping pill, sleeping policeman, sleeping porch, sleeping sickness, sleep learning, sleepless, sleep like a log, sleep movement, sleep off
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for sleeping sickness
British Dictionary definitions for sleeping sickness
sleeping sickness
noun
Also called: African sleeping sickness an African disease caused by infection with protozoans of the genus Trypanosoma, characterized by fever, wasting, and sluggishness
Also called (esp formerly): sleepy sickness an epidemic viral form of encephalitis characterized by extreme drowsinessTechnical name: encephalitis lethargica
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for sleeping sickness
sleeping sickness
[ slē′pĭng ]
n.
encephalitis lethargica
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for sleeping sickness
sleeping sickness
[ slē′pĭng ]
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.
Encephalitis that is caused by any of various viruses and is characterized by lethargy and extreme muscular weakness.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.