dysentery Meaning, Definition & Usage

Dys"en*ter*y noun

Etymology

L. dysenteria, Gr. ill, bad + , pl. , intestines, fr. within, fr. in, akin to E. in: cf. F. dysenterie. See Dys, and In.

Definitions

1. (Med.) A disease attended with inflammation and ulceration of the colon and rectum, and characterized by griping pains, constant desire to evacuate the bowels, and the discharge of mucus and blood. ✍ When acute, dysentery is usually accompanied with high fevers. It occurs epidemically, and is believed to be communicable through the medium of the alvine discharges.