What does Leprosy mean?

Definitions for Leprosy
ˈlɛp rə silep·rosy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Leprosy.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. leprosy, Hansen's diseasenoun

    chronic granulomatous communicable disease occurring in tropical and subtropical regions; characterized by inflamed nodules beneath the skin and wasting of body parts; caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae

Wiktionary

  1. leprosynoun

    An infectious disease caused by infection by Mycobacterium leprae.

    The Europeans brought new diseases such as smallpox, measles, dysentery, influenza, syphilis and leprosy.

  2. leprosynoun

    In the Bible, a disease of the skin not conclusively identified, which can also affect clothes and houses.

  3. Etymology: From leprosia.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Leprosynoun

    A loathsome distemper, which covers the body with a kind of white scales.

    Etymology: lepra, Latin; lepre, French.

    Itches, blains,
    Sow all the Athenian bosoms, and their crop
    Be general leprosy. William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens.

    It is a plague of leprosy. Lev. xiii. 3.

    Between the malice of my enemies and other mens mistakes, I put as great a difference as between the itch of novelty and the leprosy of disloyalty. Charles I .

    Authors, upon the first entrance of the pox, looked upon it so highly infectious, that they ran away from it as much as the Jews did from the leprosy. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.

Wikipedia

  1. Leprosy

    Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or infection through unnoticed wounds. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight. Leprosy symptoms may begin within one year, but, for some people, symptoms may take 20 years or more to occur.Leprosy is spread between people, although extensive contact is necessary. Leprosy has a low pathogenicity, and 95% of people who contract M. leprae do not develop the disease. Spread is thought to occur through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of a person infected by leprosy. Genetic factors and immune function play a role in how easily a person catches the disease. Leprosy does not spread during pregnancy to the unborn child or through sexual contact. Leprosy occurs more commonly among people living in poverty. There are two main types of the disease – paucibacillary and multibacillary, which differ in the number of bacteria present. A person with paucibacillary disease has five or fewer poorly-pigmented, numb skin patches, while a person with multibacillary disease has more than five skin patches. The diagnosis is confirmed by finding acid-fast bacilli in a biopsy of the skin.Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy. Treatment of paucibacillary leprosy is with the medications dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine for six months. Treatment for multibacillary leprosy uses the same medications for 12 months. A number of other antibiotics may also be used. These treatments are provided free of charge by the World Health Organization.Leprosy is not highly contagious. People with leprosy can live with their families and go to school and work. In the 1980s, there were 5.2 million cases globally but they went down to less than 0.2 million by 2020. Most new cases occur in 14 countries, with India accounting for more than half. In the 20 years from 1994 to 2014, 16 million people worldwide were cured of leprosy. About 200 cases per year are reported in the United States. Separating people affected by leprosy by placing them in leper colonies still occurs in some areas of India, China, the African continent, and Thailand.Leprosy has affected humanity for thousands of years. The disease takes its name from the Greek word λέπρᾱ (léprā), from λεπῐ́ς (lepís; 'scale'), while the term "Hansen's disease" is named after the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen. Leprosy has historically been associated with social stigma, which continues to be a barrier to self-reporting and early treatment. Some consider the word leper offensive, preferring the phrase "person affected with leprosy". Leprosy is classified as a neglected tropical disease. World Leprosy Day was started in 1954 to draw awareness to those affected by leprosy.

ChatGPT

  1. leprosy

    Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It primarily affects the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the respiratory tracts and eyes. The disease is characterized by ulcers, skin lesions, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. If left untreated, it can lead to severe disfigurement and disability.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Leprosynoun

    a cutaneous disease which first appears as blebs or as reddish, shining, slightly prominent spots, with spreading edges. These are often followed by an eruption of dark or yellowish prominent nodules, frequently producing great deformity. In one variety of the disease, anaesthesia of the skin is a prominent symptom. In addition there may be wasting of the muscles, falling out of the hair and nails, and distortion of the hands and feet with destruction of the bones and joints. It is incurable, and is probably contagious

  2. Etymology: [See Leprous.]

Wikidata

  1. Leprosy

    Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Leprosy takes its name from the Latin word Lepra, while the term "Hansen's Disease" is named after the physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen. It is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to folklore, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, although they can become numb or diseased as a result of secondary infections; these occur as a result of the body's defenses being compromised by the primary disease. Secondary infections, in turn, can result in tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed, as cartilage is absorbed into the body. Treatment for multibacillary leprosy consists of rifampicin, dapsone, and clofazimine taken over 12 months. Single dose multidrug therapy for single lesion leprosy consists of rifampicin, ofloxacin, and minocycline. The move toward single-dose treatment strategies has reduced the rates of disease in some regions. World Leprosy Day was created to draw awareness to those affected by leprosy.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Leprosy

    lep′ro-si, n. a name applied to several different cutaneous diseases of contagious character, now confined to lepra cutanea, elephantiasis, Græcorum, or Leontiasis.—n. Lep′ra, leprosy: a scurfy, mealy substance on the surface of some plants.—adjs. Lep′rose, scale-like or scurf-like; Lep′rous, affected with leprosy.—adv. Lep′rously.—ns. Lep′rousness, Lepros′ity. [See Leper.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Leprosy

    A chronic granulomatous infection caused by MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE. The granulomatous lesions are manifested in the skin, the mucous membranes, and the peripheral nerves. Two polar or principal types are lepromatous and tuberculoid.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Leprosy?

How to say Leprosy in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Leprosy in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Leprosy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Leprosy in a Sentence

  1. Paulus Manek:

    We’re not going all out to prevent leprosy, the contacts are not traced. Even though the government has good regulations in place, enforcement on the ground is patchy.

  2. Asken Sinaga:

    These are not just worries. If we compare the data... this shows the efforts have gone down last year although this is inevitable due to COVID-19, we hope the government can keep its attention on leprosy despite its current priority on COVID-19.

  3. Kelly Clarkson:

    I ask good people. I don't want to sing with crap people, so I mean, I ask people who are great vocalists, but I'm not going to point out anyone, i have asked several people. Sometimes I feel like I have the plague, or leprosy. Even so, as far as Reba McEntire is concerned, Kelly Clarkson does n’t need Reba McEntire help.

  4. Pemmaraju Ranganadha:

    Leprosy still exists, [But it] is getting limited to a small number of countries.

  5. David Scollard:

    If leprosy is not controlled in the world, we'll continue to see it in immigration.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Leprosy#10000#36292#100000

Translations for Leprosy

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for Leprosy »

Translation

Find a translation for the Leprosy definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Leprosy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Leprosy>.

Discuss these Leprosy definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for Leprosy? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    Leprosy

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    A render
    B affront
    C cleave
    D rumpus

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Leprosy: