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Glite Dictionary
primary syphilis

primary syphilis

5.8
The first stage of syphilis when a painless sore appears at the infection site
  • noun
  • /ˈpraɪˌmɛri ˈsɪfɪlɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sífilis primaria
  • Early detection and treatment of primary syphilis can prevent serious health complications.

Examples

  • A painless sore, or chancre, is the hallmark of primary syphilis.

  • She was diagnosed with primary syphilis last month.

  • If primary syphilis is left untreated, it may progress to the next phase of the disease.

  • What are the symptoms of primary syphilis?

  • In the initial stage of primary syphilis, a small sore called a chancre appears at the site of infection.

  • If left untreated, primary syphilis can progress to more severe stages of the disease.

  • The patient was diagnosed with primary syphilis after a chancre developed on his genitals.

How Advanced

tertiary syphilis
  • Specialized
1 9.1
secondary syphilis
  • Specialized
7.1
primary syphilis
  • Specialized
5.8

Surface Forms

primary syphilis singular
primary syphilis plural

Morphology

primary + syphilis

The phrase is compositionally built from 'primary' (first/initial) + 'syphilis' (the disease), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the initial stage of syphilis. The medical use of 'primary' to mean 'first/initial' is a common, cross-linguistically accessible sense, making the meaning predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Primary syphilis uses primary to mean 'first', and syphilis was named after a man called Syphilus in an old poem who had the disease. It refers to the first stage of the infection, when a painless sore, or 'chancre', appears where the germ entered the body.