syphilis

Alternative forms

• syph (slang)

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪfɪlɪs/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (uncommon) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪflɪs/

Noun

syphilis (uncountable)

1. (pathology) A disease spread via sexual activity, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

   Synonyms: (dated) Cupid's disease, (obsolete) great-pox, (dated) French disease, French gout, French pox, ladies' fever, leprosy, lues, lues venerea, syph

   Hypernyms: STD, VD

   Coordinate terms: clap, gonorrhea

Further reading

• syphilis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.fi.lis/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

syphilis f (plural syphilis)

1. syphilis

Further reading

• “syphilis”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Noun

syphilis (uncountable)

1. syphilis

Etymology

First used in 1530 by Girolamo Fracastoro, from the name of a mythical first sufferer of the disease, Syphilus.

Noun

syphilis f (genitive syphilidis); third declension

1. (New Latin, pathology) syphilis