Skip to main content
syphilitic

syphilitic

9.9
A person who has syphilis
  • noun
  • /ˌsɪfɪˈlɪtɪk/
translation icon : sifilítico
  • The clinic provides support services for individuals in our community who are syphilitic and require assistance with their health.

Examples

  • My father's specialty was venereal diseases, and in those pre-penicillin days, a new and affluent syphilitic represented guaranteed income for at least three years.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • During the lecture, the doctor explained the symptoms and treatments available for a syphilitic who has not yet received medical attention.

  • In the late 19th century, many syphilitic individuals faced stigma in society despite their need for medical care.

Surface Forms

syphilitic singular
syphilitics plural

Etymology

Syphilitic comes from the name Syphilus, a character in a 1500s Italian poem who was struck by a disease, and that story gave the name syphilis to the illness. So a syphilitic is a person 'having' or suffering from syphilis.