TUBERCULOSIS


Meaning of TUBERCULOSIS in English

n.

Pronunciation: tu ̇ - ˌ b ə r-ky ə - ' l ō -s ə s, tyu ̇ -

Function: noun

Inflected Form: plural -lo · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \

Etymology: New Latin

Date: 1882

: a highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium ( Mycobacterium bovis ), that affects especially the lungs but may spread to other areas (as the kidney or spinal column), and that is characterized by fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, formation of tubercles, caseation, pleural effusions, and fibrosis

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.