disease
disease Lexical Profile
disease Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
"Vaccination programs have dramatically reduced the spread of infectious diseases worldwide."
A harmful, corrupting, or destructive condition or habit within a society, institution, or group.
"The historian argued that systemic corruption was a disease that slowly weakened the empire from within."
• verb
To make ill or infect with a pathological condition, or to corrupt morally (mostly used in the past participle).
"The arborist removed the branches that had been diseased by the invasive fungus."
Word Nuance & Usage
In medical contexts, 'disease' refers to an objective pathological process with identifiable signs or causes, whereas 'illness' refers to a patient's subjective experience of feeling unwell.
• Rhymes for disease
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman 'desease' (Old French 'desaise'), combining 'des-' (expressing reversal or lack) and 'aise' ('ease, comfort'), originally meaning a general lack of comfort or convenience before narrowing to medical pathology.