cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkä-lə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms

especially : an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by a comma-shaped gram-negative bacillus (Vibrio cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal (see proximal sense 2) part of the human small intestine

Examples of cholera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dracula was inspired by an Irish cholera epidemic Bram Stoker’s mother survived a terrible cholera outbreak and recounted the ghastly scenes to her son years later. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

Measles, cholera and other preventable diseases have spread. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024

At the time Sanofi decided to exit the cholera vaccine market in 2020, cholera was trending downward after a 20-year high in 2017. —Ellen Ioanes, Vox, 2 May 2024

The strikes on essential infrastructure, including water treatment plants, created a cholera epidemic that killed thousands, most of them children. —Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cholera

• Asiatic cholera
• cholera morbus
• hog cholera

Kids Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases usually marked by severe vomiting and diarrhea

Medical Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms: as

a

: an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by various strains of a comma-shaped gram-negative bacterium of the genus Vibrio (V. cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal part of the human small intestine see asiatic cholera

b

: fowl cholera

c

: hog cholera

choleraic

ˌkäl-ə-ˈrā-ik 

adjective