n.
Pronunciation: ' si-f( ə -)l ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Syphilus, hero of the poem Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus ( Syphilis or the French disease ) (1530) by Girolamo Fracastoro † 1553 Italian poet and physician
Date: 1718
: a chronic contagious usually venereal and often congenital disease caused by a spirochete ( Treponema pallidum ) and if left untreated producing chancres, rashes, and systemic lesions in a clinical course with three stages continued over many years ― compare PRIMARY SYPHILIS , SECONDARY SYPHILIS , TERTIARY SYPHILIS
– syph · i · lit · ic \ ˌ si-f ə - ' li-tik \ adjective or noun