diphtheria en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- (General-American)
- /dɪfˈθɪə.ɹi.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /dɪfˈθɪɹ.i.ə/ (General-American)
- (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Hellenic *dipʰtʰérā? Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra) Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ie Middle French -ie French -ie French diphthériebor. English diphtheria From French diphtérie (later for a while also spelled diphthérie) in 1857, which was coined in 1855 with the suffix -ie to replace -ite in the previous term diphtérite for the disease because it affects more than one part of the body. The previous term (later for a while also spelled diphthérite) was coined in 1817 by Pierre Bretonneau using Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “prepared hide, leather”) in reference to the tough membrane that forms in the throat. Bretonneau perhaps coined and used the Latin term diphtheritis (with its close imitation of Greek spelling typical of Neolatin) even earlier than the French term diphtérite, which follows the French habit of sometimes spelling t for the Latin transliteration th of Greek θ (but not, for example, in thermomètre).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A serious infectious disease leading to inflammation of mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
Today diphtheria has become so rare — just five cases in the United States in the most recent decade measured — that many doctors would struggle to recognize it.
2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 377:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| diptheria | alternative | lexicographic | |
| diphtherias | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
diphtheroid · diphtheriae · antidiphtheria · DPPT · diphtheritis · diphtheric · antidiphtherin · DPT · diphtherial · diphtheritic · pseudodiphtheria
Descendants
Relateds
Synonyms
strangling angel (respiratory tract infection) · strangling angel of children (respiratory tract infection) · diphtheritis (respiratory tract infection) · Boulogne sore throat (respiratory tract infection) · Boulogne fever (respiratory tract infection)
Translations (69)
tg гулӯзиндонак (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · es difteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sl davica (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · km ខាន់ស្លាក់ (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · uk дифтері́я (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ro difterie (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ms difteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sw dondakoo (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ceb dipterya (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · mk дифте́рија (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · lt difterija (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · fi kurkkumätä (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · da difteritis (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · id difteri (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ar خُنَاق (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · az difteriya (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · lv difterija (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · fi difteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · pt difteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · cmn 白喉 (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · pl dyfteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · hu torokgyík (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · da difteri (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · my ဆုံဆို့နာ (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sh gušobolja (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tg хуноқ (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · gl difteria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · fo difteritis (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · fr diphtérie (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · cmn 白喉病 (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ka დიფთერია (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ko 디프테리아 (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tg бодзаҳра (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · arz دفتيريا (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tg буғма (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · eo difterio (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · th คอตีบ (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sv difteri (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · vi bạch hầu (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · uz difteriya (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · af witseerkeel (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · kk дифтерия (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · hy դիֆթերիա (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tg хурӯсак (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · he דִּיפְתֶרְיָה (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tr difteri (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · is barnaveiki (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · et difteeria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · cs záškrt (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ga diftéire (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · az qaraboğma (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ja ジフテリア (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · it difterite (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · be дыфтэры́я (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · gu ઘટસર્પ (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tg дифтерия (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · fa دیفتری (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · gl garrotillo (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · hu diftéria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · el διφθερίτιδα (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · nl difterie (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · pl dyfteryt (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sk záškrt (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · sl difterija (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ca diftèria (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · ru дифтери́я (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · tl dipterya (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · pl błonica (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract) · de Diphtherie (infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract)