tuberculosis

[ too-bur-kyuh-loh-sis, tyoo- ]

/ tʊˌbɜr kyəˈloʊ sɪs, tyʊ- /

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noun Pathology.

an infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue of the body, especially the lungs, caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and characterized by tubercles.

this disease when affecting the lungs; pulmonary phthisis; consumption.

any disease caused by a mycobacterium.

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Also called TB (for defs. 1, 2).

Origin of tuberculosis

1855–60; <New Latin tūberculōsis;see tubercle, -osis

OTHER WORDS FROM tuberculosis

an·ti·tu·ber·cu·lo·sis, adjective

Words nearby tuberculosis

tuberculinize, tuberculin test, tuberculin-tested, tuberculoid, tuberculose, tuberculosis, tuberculous, tuberculum, tuber fern, tuberose, tuberosity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tuberculosis in a sentence

In “Illness as Metaphor,” Sontag wrote about diseases — cancer and tuberculosis — that took their toll over relatively long periods, so the experience of being ill lasted months or years.
The virus caused more than a pandemic. It set us all ablaze.|Philip Kennicott|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Murdoch Children’s Research InstituteThe BCG vaccine was created in the early 20th Century to prevent tuberculosis and is given to more than 100 million children around the world every year.
Here’s where all the COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently stand|Kate Baggaley|December 18, 2020|Popular-Science
The vaccine has additional benefits beyond protecting people from tuberculosis.
Here’s where all the COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently stand|Kate Baggaley|December 18, 2020|Popular-Science
He had been charged with figuring out why some children, who were otherwise perfectly healthy, fell severely ill after receiving the tuberculosis vaccine.
Our Genes May Explain Severity of COVID-19 and Other Infections|Monique Brouillette|July 27, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Another hypothesis involves the BCG vaccine, a century-old inoculation against tuberculosis that has been touted as a “flak-jacket” and a “game-changer” against the novel coronavirus.
Why South Asia’s COVID-19 Numbers Are So Low (For Now)|Puja Changoiwala|June 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Schmidt had arrived in California after his family had been wiped out by tuberculosis in his home state of Rhode Island.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere|Nina Strochlic|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when Tarkhan got sick with tuberculosis and was ushered out, the government gave him no pension or medical assistance.
The Secret Life of an ISIS Warlord|Will Cathcart, Vazha Tavberidze, Nino Burchuladze|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he did endure tuberculosis and the Nazis, so he knew a thing or two about suffering.
Albert Camus, Our Existential Epidemiologist|Malcolm Jones|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But drugs have potentially devastating side effects, and Mengnan developed tuberculosis (TB), an infection that can be deadly.
Will US Health Care Follow in China’s Bloody Footsteps?|Daniela Drake|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her sister, Magda, is quarantined after catching tuberculosis aboard their cramped vessel, and her aunt is nowhere to be found.
Marion Cotillard on Playing a Prostitute in ‘The Immigrant’ and Seducing America|Marlow Stern|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is sometimes met with in the sputum of catarrhal pneumonia, bronchitis, and tuberculosis.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It is small in cloudy swelling from toxins and drugs, and variable in renal tuberculosis and neoplasms.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Blood-streaked sputum is strongly suggestive of tuberculosis, and is more common in the early stages than later.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Its continued presence in pulmonary tuberculosis is, however, a grave prognostic sign, even when the physical signs are slight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Considerable hemorrhages from the bladder may occur in vesical calculus, tuberculosis, and newgrowths.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for tuberculosis

tuberculosis

/ (tjʊˌbɜːkjʊˈləʊsɪs) /

noun

a communicable disease caused by infection with the tubercle bacillus, most frequently affecting the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis)Also called: consumption, phthisis Abbreviation: TB

Word Origin for tuberculosis

C19: from New Latin; see tubercle, -osis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tuberculosis

tuberculosis

[ tu-bûr′kyə-lō′sĭs ]

An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is transmitted through inhalation and is characterized by cough, fever, shortness of breath, weight loss, and the appearance of inflammatory substances and tubercles in the lungs. Tuberculosis is highly contagious and can spread to other parts of the body, especially in people with weakened immune systems. Although the incidence of the disease has declined since the introduction of antibiotic treatment in the 1950's, it is still a major public-health problem throughout the world, especially in Asia and Africa.

Cultural definitions for tuberculosis

tuberculosis

[ (tuh-bur-kyuh-loh-sis) ]

An infectious disease caused by bacteria that mainly attack the lungs. The disease is characterized by the formation of patches, called tubercles, that appear in the lungs and, in later stages, the bones, joints, and other parts of the body. Tuberculosis is treated with combinations of antibiotics and is no longer considered a major health problem in industrialized countries. It was formerly called consumption.

notes for tuberculosis

Years ago, tuberculosis (consumption) was a major killer; it often figures in literature and drama.

notes for tuberculosis

In recent years, the incidence of tuberculosis has been on the increase in the United States, particularly in large cities, mainly because the strains of the bacterium have developed resistance to antibiotics.

tuberculosis

Origin of tuberculosis

OTHER WORDS FROM tuberculosis

Words nearby tuberculosis

Words related to tuberculosis

How to use tuberculosis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tuberculosis

Word Origin for tuberculosis

Scientific definitions for tuberculosis

Cultural definitions for tuberculosis

notes for tuberculosis

notes for tuberculosis