syphilis
n. uncountablen. a serious disease that people get by having sex with someone who is already infected. It is caused by bacteria and can damage the body if a doctor does not treat it with medicine.
n. a chronic bacterial infection, caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, primarily transmitted through sexual contact. If left untreated, it progresses through distinct clinical stages and can cause systemic damage to the heart, brain, and nervous system.
Doctors use antibiotics to treat syphilis effectively.
Public health clinics offer free testing for syphilis to help prevent the spread of the infection within the community.
Historically, syphilis was a major cause of neurological decline before the advent of penicillin, which remains the primary treatment for eradicating the bacteria in its early stages.
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Uncountable in its medical sense; typically takes a singular verb.
Last updated May 8, 2026