cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkä-lə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms

especially : an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by a comma-shaped gram-negative bacillus (Vibrio cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal (see proximal sense 2) part of the human small intestine

Examples of cholera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the latter half of the 19th century, during the heyday of British colonial rule, administrative officials considered mass ritual bathing at festivals such as Kumbh a great threat to public sanitation and hygiene and a potential source of cholera outbreaks. —Sudipta Sen, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025

But from the 1830s to 1850s, New York City’s mortality rate doubled amid a string of local cholera epidemics. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025

First, physician John Snow traced a deadly cholera outbreak to contaminated water from London’s Broad Street pump. —Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025

These floods triggered cholera outbreaks in camps where medical care is virtually nonexistent. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cholera

• Asiatic cholera
• cholera morbus
• hog cholera

Kids Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases usually marked by severe vomiting and diarrhea

Medical Definition

cholera

noun

chol·​era ˈkäl-ə-rə 

: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked by severe gastrointestinal symptoms: as

a

: an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by various strains of a comma-shaped gram-negative bacterium of the genus Vibrio (V. cholerae synonym V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal part of the human small intestine see asiatic cholera

b

: fowl cholera

c

: hog cholera

choleraic

ˌkäl-ə-ˈrā-ik 

adjective