Syphilis
//ˈsɪfɪlɪs// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A disease spread via sexual activity, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. uncountable
- 2 a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta) wordnet
Example
More examples"Syphilis is an infection that can be transmitted through sexual intercourse."
Etymology
From New Latin syphilis, originally the title of a poem by Girolamo Fracastoro concerning “Syphilus”, a shepherd boy who insulted the Greek god Apollo and was punished by that god with a horrible disease.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.