spongiform

American  

[spuhn-juh-fawrm] / ˈspʌn dʒəˌfɔrm /

adjective

1. resembling a sponge, as in appearance or structure.

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spongiform British  

/ ˈspʌndʒɪˌfɔːm /

adjective

1. resembling a sponge in appearance, esp in having many holes

2. denoting diseases characterized by this appearance of affected tissues

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Etymology

Origin of spongiform

First recorded in 1815–20

Example Sentences

South Korea, which is the world’s top importer of American beef, currently bans beef from cattle that are older than 30 months on concerns it may introduce bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

From Los Angeles Times

American beef has effectively been banned from the country - which has some of the strictest biosecurity laws in the world - since 2003 after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.

From BBC

The findings, which have been published by The Journal of Comparative Neurology, offer a compelling new explanation for commonly described brain pathologies observed in Alzheimer's disease, including amyloid-beta plaques, tau tangles, and spongiform abnormalities.

From Science Daily

Also known as “zombie deer disease,” chronic wasting disease is a contagious infection similar to mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1980s, concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy — or mad cow disease — took hold across Europe, when cases of the incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle began to appear.

From Los Angeles Times