DIPHTHERIA

[diph.the.ria] n [NL, fr. F diphtherie, fr. Gk diphthera leather; fr. the toughness of the false membrane] (ca. 1851): an acute febrile contagious disease marked by the formation of a false membrane esp. in the throat and caused by a bacterium (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) that produces a toxin causing inflammation of the heart and nervous system -- diph.the.ri.al adj -- diph.the.rit.ic adj