Syphilis \Syph"i*lis\, n. [NL., fr. Syphilus, the name of a shepherd in the Latin poem of Fracastoro, ``Syphilus, sive Morbus Gallicus,'' which was published in 1530; Gr. ? hog, swine + ? dear, loving. The term was introduced into nosology by Sauvages.]

(Med.) The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)