Found 2 items, similar to syphilis.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: syphilis syphilis n : a common venereal disease caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta) [syn: syph, pox]
English → English (gcide) Definition: Syphilis Syphilis \Syph"i*lis\, n. [NL., fr. Syphilus, the name of a shepherd in the Latin poem of Fracastoro, “Syphilus, sive Morbus Gallicus,” which was published in 1530; Gr. ? hog, swine + ? dear, loving. The term was introduced into nosology by Sauvages.] (Med.) The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. [1913 Webster]