Word
diarrhea
Phoneticsdi·ar·rhea
/ˌdaɪɝˈiə/
UK spelling · diarrhoea
Definition
n. an illness that makes you go to the toilet more often than usual with watery waste.
n. a medical condition or symptom involving frequent and liquid bowel movements. Uncountable in general reference, though countable when referring to specific instances or types.
Examples
“The food poisoning gave him diarrhea.”
“She took medicine to stop the diarrhea before her long flight.”
“Travelers often experience temporary diarrhea due to changes in water quality and local bacteria.”
Examples
simple
“The food poisoning gave him diarrhea.”
contextual
“She took medicine to stop the diarrhea before her long flight.”
complex
“Travelers often experience temporary diarrhea due to changes in water quality and local bacteria.”
Usage
Usually used without an article when referring to the condition.
Teaching tip
This is the American spelling; the British spelling is 'diarrhoea'. Both are pronounced the same way.
Pitfall
I have a diarrhea.
I have diarrhea.
When talking about the illness in general, do not use 'a' because it is usually uncountable.
Etymology
From Middle English diaria, from Middle French diarrie (French diarrhée), from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Ancient Greek διάρροια (diárrhoia, “through-flowing”), from διά (diá, “through”) + ῥέω (rhéō, “flow”). By surface analysis, dia- + -rrhea. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots. Displaced native Old English ūtsiht (literally “straining out”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/diarrhea