/ dɪˈziːz; NAmE / noun [ U , C ]
1.
an illness affecting humans, animals or plants, often caused by infection :
heart / liver / kidney, etc. disease
health measures to prevent the spread of disease
an infectious / contagious disease (= one that can be passed to sb very easily)
It is not known what causes the disease.
protection against sexually transmitted diseases
He suffers from a rare blood disease.
2.
[ C ] ( formal ) something that is very wrong with people's attitudes, way of life or with society :
Greed is a disease of modern society.
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SYNONYMS
disease
illness ♦ disorder ♦ infection ♦ condition ♦ ailment ♦ bug
These are all words for a medical problem.
disease
a medical problem affecting humans, animals or plants, often caused by infection:
He suffers from a rare blood disease.
illness
a medical problem, or a period of suffering from one:
She died after a long illness.
disease or illness?
Disease is used to talk about more severe physical medical problems, especially those that affect the organs. Illness is used to talk about both more severe and more minor medical problems, and those that affect mental health: heart / kidney / liver illness • mental disease . Disease is not used about a period of illness: she died after a long disease
disorder
( rather formal ) an illness that causes a part of the body to stop functioning correctly:
a rare disorder of the liver.
NOTE
A disorder is generally not infectious. Disorder occurs most frequently with words relating to mental problems, for example psychiatric , personality , mental and eating . When it is used to talk about physical problems, it most often occurs with blood , bowel and kidney , and these are commonly serious , severe or rare .
infection
an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and that affects one part of the body:
a throat infection
condition
a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not possible to cure it:
a heart condition
ailment
( rather formal ) an illness that is not very serious:
childhood ailments
bug
( informal ) an infectious illness that is usually fairly mild:
a nasty flu bug
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
(a) bowel / heart / liver / respiratory disease / disorder / condition
a mental / psychiatric / psychological illness / disorder / condition
to have / suffer from a(n) disease / illness / disorder / infection / condition / ailment / bug
to catch / contract / get / pick up a(n) disease / illness / infection / bug
to carry / pass on / spread / transmit a(n) disease / illness / infection
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense lack of ease; inconvenience ): from Old French desaise lack of ease, from des- (expressing reversal) + aise ease.