n.
Pronunciation: ˌ tre-p ə - ' n ē -m ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ma · ta \ -m ə -t ə \ or -mas
Etymology: New Latin Treponemat-, Treponema, from Greek trepein to turn + n ē ma thread, from n ē n to spin ― more at NEEDLE
Date: 1908
: any of a genus ( Treponema ) of spirochetes that are pathogenic in humans and other warm-blooded animals and include the causative agents of syphilis and yaws
– trep · o · ne · mal \ -m ə l \ adjective