DYSENTERY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dysentery mean? 

• DYSENTERY (noun)
  The noun DYSENTERY has 1 sense:

1. an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

  Familiarity information: DYSENTERY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DYSENTERY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("dysentery" is a kind of...):

infectious disease (a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact)

Meronyms (parts of "dysentery"):

diarrhea; diarrhoea; looseness; looseness of the bowels (frequent and watery bowel movements; can be a symptom of infection or food poisoning or colitis or a gastrointestinal tumor)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dysentery"):

amebic dysentery; amoebic dysentery (inflammation of the intestines caused by Endamoeba histolytica; usually acquired by ingesting food or water contaminated with feces; characterized by severe diarrhea)

bacillary dysentery; shigellosis (an acute infection of the intestine by shigella bacteria; characterized by diarrhea and fever and abdominal pains)

 Context examples 

Phthalylsulfathiazole is used in the treatment of dysentery, colitis, and gastroenteritis.

(Phthalylsulfathiazole, NCI Thesaurus)

Huang Lian is commonly used to treat diarrhea or dysentery in Chinese medicine.

(Huang Lian, NCI Thesaurus)

Dysentery resulting from ulcerative inflammation of the bowel, caused chiefly by infection with ENTAMOEBA HISTOLYTICA.

(Amebic Colitis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Intestinal tissue destruction causes severe dysentery and ulcerations in amoebic colitis.

(Amoebiasis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

The pitch was bubbling in the seams; the nasty stench of the place turned me sick; if ever a man smelt fever and dysentery, it was in that abominable anchorage.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)