syphilis

American  

[sif-uh-lis] / ˈsɪf ə lɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic infectious disease, caused by a spirochete, Treponema pallidum, usually venereal in origin but often congenital, and affecting almost any organ or tissue in the body, especially the genitals, skin, mucous membranes, aorta, brain, liver, bones, and nerves.

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syphilis British  

/ ˈsɪfɪlɪs, ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. a venereal disease caused by infection with the microorganism Treponema pallidum: characterized by an ulcerating chancre, usually on the genitals and progressing through the lymphatic system to nearly all tissues of the body, producing serious clinical manifestations

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syphilis Scientific  

/ sĭf′ə-lĭs /

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum that is characterized in its primary stage by genital sores. If untreated, skin ulcers develop in the next stage, called secondary syphilis. As the disease progresses to potentially fatal tertiary syphilis, neurologic involvement with weakness and skeletal or cardiovascular damage can occur.

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syphilis Cultural  

1. A sexually transmitted disease caused by a microorganism. In its initial stages (called primary syphilis), it is manifested by a skin ulcer called a chancre. If the disease is not treated by penicillin or other antibiotics, the infection becomes chronic. In so-called tertiary syphilis, virtually any tissue in the body can be damaged, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The disease, if left untreated, can cause blindness, mental illness, and death.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• syphilitic
  adjective
• syphilitically
  adverb
• syphiloid
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of syphilis

< New Latin, coined by Giovanni Fracastoro (1478–1553), Italian physician and poet, in his 1530 Latin poem Syphilis, sive morbus Gallicus (“Syphilis, or the French Disease”), an early account of syphilis

Example Sentences

He said congenital syphilis cases - "where infections pass directly to newborns, leading to potentially lifelong complications" - had nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

And there was: There had been some progress, with oxytetracycline, OTC for short, a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat chlamydia and sometimes syphilis in humans.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

This bacterium is responsible for several serious infectious diseases today, including syphilis.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

But the overall figure for syphilis, including what is called late-stage syphilis, or complications from the infection, rose 5% to 13,030.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025

One recent case involved the long-running debate over whether syphilis originated in the New World or the Old.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• AIDS
• acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• gonorrhea
• herpes
• the clap
• venereal disease