dysentery

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US/ˈdɪs.ənˌtɛɹ.i/UK/ˈdɪs.ən.tə.ɹi/UK/ˈdɪs.ən.tɹi/

noun

A disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines, especially the colon (large intestine), accompanied by pus (white blood cells) in the feces, fever, pain in the abdomen, high-volume diarrhea, and possible blood in the feces.

OriginMiddle English dissenterie ← Old French dissenterie ← Latin dysenteria →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

noundysentery (countable and uncountable, plural dysenteries)

plural dysenteries

  1. countableuncountablemedicineA disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines, especially the colon (large intestine), accompanied by pus (white blood cells) in the feces, fever, pain in the abdomen, high-volume diarrhea, and possible blood in the feces.

    We ate, we drank, and we were merry / and we got typhoid and dysentery.

    1959, “In Old Mexico”, Tom Lehrer (music)
  2. countableuncountablediarrhea.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
diarrhea

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekδυσεντερία
  2. Latindysenteria
  3. Old Frenchdissenterie
  4. Middle Englishdissenterie
  5. Englishdysentery

From Middle English dissenterie, from Old French dissenterie, from Latin dysenteria, from Ancient Greek δυσεντερία (dusentería), from δυσ- (dus-, “bad”) + ἔντερα (éntera, “bowels”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans disenterie
  • disenteriedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Ancient Greek δυσεντερία
  • δυσεντερία (dusentería)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Arabic زُحَار
  • زُحَار (zuḥār)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Basque disenteria
  • disenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Bengali আমাশয়
  • আমাশয় (amaśoẏ)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Bulgarian дизентерия
  • дизентерия (dizenterija)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Catalan disenteria
  • disenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Chinese Cantonese 痢疾
  • 痢疾 (lei⁶ zat⁶)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Chinese Mandarin 痢疾, 白痢
  • 痢疾 (lìji)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • 白痢 (báilì)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • 赤痢 (chìlì)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Czech úplavice, dyzentérie
  • úplavicedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • dyzentériedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Danish dysenteri
  • dysenteridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Dutch dysenterie
  • dysenteriedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Esperanto disenterio
  • disenteriodisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Estonian düsenteeria
  • düsenteeriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Finnish punatauti, shigelloosi
  • punatautidisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • shigelloosidisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • dysenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
French dysenterie
  • dysenteriedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
German Dysenterie, Ruhr
  • Dysenteriedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • Ruhrdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Greek δυσεντερία
  • δυσεντερία (dysentería)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Hebrew דִּיזֶנְטֶרְיָה
  • דִּיזֶנְטֶרְיָה (dizenterya)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Hindi अतिसार, अन्नगन्धि
  • अतिसार (atisār)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • अन्नगन्धि (annagandhi)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • अन्नगंधि (annagandhi)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • आमाशय (āmāśay)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • ग्रहणी (grahṇī)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • प्रवाहिका (pravāhikā)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • पेचिश (peciś)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • दस्त (dast)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • डायरिया (ḍāyriyā)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Hungarian vérhas, dizentéria
  • vérhasdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • dizentériadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Icelandic iðrakreppa, blóðkreppusótt
  • iðrakreppadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • blóðkreppusóttdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • blóðfallssóttdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • blóðsóttdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Indonesian disentri
  • disentridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Irish dinnireacht, flosc fola
  • dinnireachtdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • flosc foladisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • rith foladisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Italian dissenteria
  • dissenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Japanese 赤痢
  • 赤痢 (sekiri)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Korean 이질
  • 이질 (ijil)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Latin dysenteria
  • dysenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Latvian dizentērija
  • dizentērijadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Lithuanian dizenterija
  • dizenterijadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Malay disenteri
  • disenteridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Māori kōea, mate kōea
  • kōeadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • mate kōeadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Norwegian Bokmål dysenteri
  • dysenteridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Persian دیسانتری
  • دیسانتریdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Polish dyzenteria, czerwonka
  • dyzenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • czerwonkadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Portuguese disenteria
  • disenteriadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Punjabi ਡਾਇਨੇਟੇਰੀ
  • ਡਾਇਨੇਟੇਰੀ (ḍāineṭerī)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Romanian dizenterie
  • dizenteriedisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Russian дизентери́я
  • дизентери́я (dizenteríja)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Scottish Gaelic buinnteachd, bronn-sgaoileadh
  • buinnteachddisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • bronn-sgaoileadhdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Slovak úplavica, dyzentéria
  • úplavicadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • dyzentériadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Spanish disentería
  • disenteríadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Swedish dysenteri
  • dysenteridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Tagalog disenteriya, daragis
  • disenteriyadisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • daragisdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • itidisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • pag-iitidisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • balaoddisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Tamil இரத்தக்கழிசல், சீதபேதி
  • இரத்தக்கழிசல் (irattakkaḻical)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • சீதபேதி (cītapēti)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Thai โรคบิด
  • โรคบิด (rôok-bìt)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Turkish dizanteri
  • dizanteridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Ukrainian дизентері́я
  • дизентері́я (dyzenteríja)disease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Vietnamese kiết lị, lị
  • kiết lịdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • lịdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
  • kiếtdisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Welsh dysentri
  • dysentridisease characterised by inflammation of the intestines
Cite this entry
APA

dysentery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dysentery

MLA

“dysentery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dysentery. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dysentery,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dysentery.

Source: dysentery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.