Syphilis

Syph″i‐lis (?), n. [NL., fr. Syphilus, the name of a shepherd in the Latin poem of Fracastoro, “Syphilus, sive Morbus Gallicus,” which was published in 1530; Gr. � hog, swine + � dear, loving. The term was introduced into nosology by Sauvages.] (Med.) The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.