Pronunciation: ' l ī m-
Function: noun
Etymology: Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first reported
Date: 1979
: an acute inflammatory disease that is caused by a spirochete ( Borrelia burgdorferi ) transmitted by ticks (genus Ixodes and especially I. dammini ), that is usually characterized initially by a spreading red annular erythematous skin lesion and by fatigue, fever, and chills, and that if left untreated may later manifest itself in joint pain, arthritis, and cardiac and neurological disorders ― called also Lyme