syph ‧ i ‧ lis /ˈsɪf ə ləs, ˈsɪf ə lɪs/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: Modern Latin ; Origin: Syphilus , main character in the 16th-century poem Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus 'Syphilis or the French disease' by Girolamo Fracastoro ]
a very serious disease that is passed from one person to another during sexual activity
—syphilitic /ˌsɪfəˈlɪtɪk◂, ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk◂/ adjective