Pertussis
/pəˈtʌsɪs/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Whooping cough. countable, uncountable
"With the introduction of an improved and standardized pertussis vaccine in the 1940s, there followed a remarkable decline in pertussis in the United States, most of the Western world, and Australia, New Zealand, and Japan."
- 2 a disease of the respiratory mucous membrane wordnet
Example
More examples"On vaccines, the letter says 86 percent of the world's kids now have coverage for a basic package of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, the highest percentage ever."
Etymology
From New Latin, from Latin per- (“thorough”) + tussis (“cough”).