SYPHILIS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does syphilis mean? 

• SYPHILIS (noun)
  The noun SYPHILIS has 1 sense:

1. a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)

  Familiarity information: SYPHILIS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SYPHILIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

lues; lues venerea; pox; syph; syphilis

Hypernyms ("syphilis" is a kind of...):

Cupid's disease; Cupid's itch; dose; sexually transmitted disease; social disease; STD; VD; venereal disease; venereal infection; Venus's curse (a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact)

Meronyms (parts of "syphilis"):

chancre (a small hard painless nodule at the site of entry of a pathogen (as syphilis))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "syphilis"):

primary syphilis (the first stage; characterized by a chancre at the site of infection)

secondary syphilis (the second stage; characterized by eruptions of the skin and mucous membrane)

tertiary syphilis (the third stage; characterized by involvement of internal organs especially the brain and spinal cord as well as the heart and liver)

neurosyphilis (syphilis of the central nervous system)

Derivation:

syphilitic (of or relating to or infected with syphilis)

 Context examples 

It is transmitted to the infant from a mother with syphilis through the placenta during pregnancy.

(Congenital Syphilis, NCI Thesaurus)

A hydrochloride salt form of dichlorophenarsine, an arsenic-containing agent formerly used in the treatment of syphilis.

(Dichlorophenarsine Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

An arsenic-containing agent formerly used in the treatment of syphilis.

(Dichlorophenarsine, NCI Thesaurus)

A stage of syphilis characterized by the serologic evidence of infection by Treponema pallidum without evidence of accompanying signs or symptoms related to the disease.

(Latent Syphilis, NCI Thesaurus)

An enzyme immunoassay for the detection of the bacteria Treponema pallidum, which causes syphilis.

(Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption, NCI Thesaurus)