Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A chronic, mildly contagious granulomatous disease of tropical and subtropical regions, caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae, characterized by ulcers of the skin, bone, and viscera and leading to loss of sensation, paralysis, gangrene, and deformation. Also called Hansen's disease.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A name given to several different diseases. Regarding the leprosy of the Jews nothing certain is known. The term was probably applied to various cutaneous diseases, especially those of a chronic or contagious character. The term is now commonly restricted to lepra cutanea, or elephantiasis Græcorum. See lepra.
Wiktionary
- n. An infectious disease caused by infection by Mycobacterium leprae.
- n. In the Bible, a disease of the skin not conclusively identified, which can also affect clothes and houses.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Med.) A cutaneous disease which first appears as blebs or as reddish, shining, slightly prominent spots, with spreading edges. These are often followed by an eruption of dark or yellowish prominent nodules, frequently producing great deformity. In one variety of the disease, anæsthesia of the skin is a prominent symptom. In addition there may be wasting of the muscles, falling out of the hair and nails, and distortion of the hands and feet with destruction of the bones and joints. It is incurable, and is probably contagious.
WordNet 3.0
- n. chronic granulomatous communicable disease occurring in tropical and subtropical regions; characterized by inflamed nodules beneath the skin and wasting of body parts; caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae
Etymologies
- From Latin leprōsia. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English lepruse, from leprus, leprous; see leprous. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The sole mention of the word leprosy brought to mind images of what I had seen in the movies and read in the Bible.”
“But in East Timor, and specifically Oe-cusse Enclave, leprosy is not feared as it is in richer, more educated places.”
The Huffington Post: Tiny East Timor Declares War On Leprosy
“I was interested in leprosy, and upon that, as upon every other island subject, Kersdale had encyclopedic knowledge.”
“Contrary to age-old belief, leprosy is surprisingly hard to catch.”
“On the principle that leprosy is more fun if you understand why your fingers are falling off, permit me a few thoughts on Karl Marx, his witless theories, and our descent into a Disney version of them.”
“It happens that Kersdale is interested in leprosy, has an encyclopedic knowledge of it and is an ardent defender of Molokai, insisting that the lepers there are happy and the horrors bandied about are poppycock.”
“Dr. Brand is an expert in leprosy and other conditions that cause the nerves to stop registering pain.”
“And by the same means leprosy is even now decreasing in the”
“A doctor insists that the cause of leprosy is a long-continued fish diet, and he proves his theory voluminously till a physician from the highlands of India demands why the natives of that district should therefore be afflicted by leprosy when they have never eaten fish, nor all the generations of their fathers before them.”
“Of course, leprosy is leprosy, and it is a terrible thing; but so much that is lurid has been written about Molokai that neither the lepers, nor those who devote their lives to them, have received a fair deal.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘leprosy’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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RELI - words with Biblical connotations
Words in the Bible evoking biblical stories or with special spiritual meaning. Proper names have been reduced to the minimum.
ark, judgement, holy, saint, baptism, spirit, love, eternal, altar, balsam, covenant, flood and 1115 more...
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RELI - words you immediately associat...
almighty, altar, anoint, apostle, archangel, Balaam, baptism, advent, ark, baptist, baptize, begotten and 341 more...
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Afflictions of the Realm
archaic diseases
dropsy, quinsy, tisick, measles, croup, gout, canker, teething, overlaying, mold-shot head, thrush, whooping-cough and 56 more...
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Arabian Nights
scheherazade, sinbad, bazaar, magic carpet, bedouin, leviathan, aladdin, ali baba, open sesame, 40 thieves, baghdad, ceylon and 32 more...
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Antiquated Ailments
Old-fashioned words for illnesses, conditions, and other ailments. Also illnesses that have pretty much been eradicated in the developed world(eg. polio)
apoplexy, consumption, delerium tremens, polio, smallpox, dropsy, quinsy, ague, DTs, phthisis, hysteria, diphtheria and 9 more...
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April 2013
knavery, moribund, antediluvian, rube, trundle, cloying, errata, elegy, unvarnished, micturate, abutment, joyride and 19 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for leprosy.
dailyword Ben-Hur's mother and sister had this. Jul 16, 2012
sionnach
"Take some unicorn liver, grind it up and mash with egg yolk to make an ointment. Every type of leprosy is healed, if treated frequently with this ointment, unless the patient is destined to die or God intends not to aid him. For the liver of that animal has a good, pure warmth and the yolk is the most precious part of the egg and like a salve. Leprosy, however, comes frequently from black bile and from plethoric black blood. Take some unicorn pelt. From it, cut a belt and gird it around the body, thus averting attack by plague or fever. Make also some shoes from unicorn leather and wear them, thus assuring every healthy feet, thighs and joints, nor will the plague ever attack these limbs. Apart from that, nothing else of the unicorn is to be used medically."
St Hildegard of Bingen. Jan 11, 2009