n.
Pronunciation: ˌ shis-t ə -s ō - ' m ī - ə -s ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -a · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \
Etymology: New Latin, from Schistosoma
Date: 1906
: infestation with or disease caused by schistosomes specifically : a severe endemic disease of humans in Africa and parts of Asia and So. America that is contracted when cercariae released into freshwaters (as rivers) by a snail intermediate host penetrate the skin and that is marked especially by blood loss and tissue damage ― called also snail fever