Added 8 October 2026
tuberculosis
/tjuːˌbɜːkjʊˈləʊsɪs/ noun
In Latin: phthisis, tūberculōsis Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tuberculosis at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An infectious disease of humans and animals caused by a species of mycobacterium, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mainly infecting the lungs where it causes tubercles characterized by the expectoration of mucus and sputum, fever, weight loss, and chest pain, and transmitted through inhalation or ingestion of bacteria. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Origin
To international scientific vocabulary from New Latin tūberculōsis, from Latin tūberculum (diminutive of tūber (“lump”)) + Latin -ōsis (“diseased condition”); by surface analysis, tubercul(um) + -osis; named for the encapsulated colonies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within the lungs in pulmonary tuberculosis, which can look like small tubers (tubercles) on gross pathology.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)