gonorrhea

noun

gon·​or·​rhea ˌgä-nə-ˈrē-ə How to pronounce gonorrhea (audio)
: a contagious inflammation of the genital mucous membrane caused by the gonococcus

called also clap

gonorrheal adjective

Examples of gonorrhea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These included a nasty bug called carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii that tends to show up in hospitals, E. coli and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhea. Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 If the vaccine is protective against gonorrhea, it’s not yet known for how long the protection will last, the JCVI report noted. Helen Branswell, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023 That could be a sign of an STI such as trichomoniasis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea, or of the infection bacterial vaginosis (BV). Mara Santilli, SELF, 26 Jan. 2024 Molina is the head of one of the multiple clinical trials currently running of a meningitis B vaccine as prevention for gonorrhea. Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2023 But while chlamydia cases held steady and reported cases of gonorrhea decreased in 2022, syphilis cases continued to climb to the highest level in decades, with a 17% percent jump in one year. Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were more than 1.6 million cases of chlamydia in 2021, and over 710,000 cases of gonorrhea the same year. Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 Nov. 2023 Brewing resistance For years, global surveillance data collected by the World Health Organization has shown that gonorrhea is becoming more and more resistant to our entire lineup of drugs, including frontline drugs like ceftriaxone. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2023 Two companies already have FDA approval for immediate tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea, but the analysis systems are so complex and expensive that the tests can only be performed in a clinic. Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gonorrhea.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Late Latin, morbid loss of semen, from Greek gonorrhoia, from gon- + -rrhoia -rrhea

First Known Use

circa 1526, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gonorrhea was circa 1526

Dictionary Entries Near gonorrhea

Cite this Entry

“Gonorrhea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gonorrhea. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gonorrhea

noun
gon·​or·​rhea ˌgän-ə-ˈrē-ə How to pronounce gonorrhea (audio)
: a contagious inflammatory venereal disease of the genital and urinary organs that is caused by the gonococcus

called also clap

gonorrheal adjective

Medical Definition

gonorrhea

noun
gon·​or·​rhea
variants or chiefly British gonorrhoea
: a contagious inflammation of the genital mucous membrane caused by the gonococcus

called also clap

gonorrheal adjective
or chiefly British gonorrhoeal

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