syphilis /sĭf′ə-lĭs/
noun
1. An infectious disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidum),usually transmitted sexually or in utero, marked initially by local formation of chancres and progressing if untreated to bacteremia and widespread organ damage, such as skin ulcerations and tabes dorsalis.
2. 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. A disease spread via sexual activity, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.
3. A disease spread via sexual activity, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.
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