Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

leprosy

/ˈlɛpɹəsi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English

Syllables
lep-rosy
IPA
/ˈlɛpɹəsi/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, gradually producing nerve damage and patches of skin necrosis and historically handled by permanently quarantining its sufferers.

Uncountable

noun

Similar contagious skin diseases causing light patches of scaly skin, particularly psoriasis, syphilis, vitiligo, scabies, and (biblical) the various diseases considered "tzaraath" in the Old Testament.

Dated; Uncountable

noun

Anything considered similarly permanent, harmful, and communicable, particularly when such a thing should be handled by avoidance or isolation of its victims.

Uncountable

noun

A contagious disease causing similar effects in animals, particularly

Uncountable

noun

A contagious disease causing similar effects in animals, particularly

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Synonym of leprosarium: a place for the housing of lepers in isolation from the rest of society.

Obsolete; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Norman leprosie, from Middle French leprosie (“leprosy & similar skin diseases”), probably from leprous (“leprous”) + -ie (“-y”) but possibly from Medieval Latin leprōsia (leprōsus + -ia) although this only historically attested in reference to leprosariums. The shift of sense from psoriasis to Hansen's disease occurred in large part from the use of λέπρα (lépra) to translate Hebrew צרעת (“tzaraath”) in the Septuagint and its subsequent use in the New Testament and Late Latin.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

leprosies (plural)

Derived Forms

antileprosy antileprotic leproid leprophobia leprosied leprosity leprostatic leprosylike leprotic

Phrases

Arabian leprosy bastard leprosy feline leprosy fretting leprosy Greek leprosy histoid leprosy lepromatoid leprosy lepromatous leprosy

Frequently Paired Words

leper leprologic leprological leprologist leprology leproma lepromatic lepromatoid

Synonyms

mange and glanders in horses leprosarium Hansensiasis Hansen's disease lepra mesel measles elephantiasis Greek elephantiasis Greek leprosy Greek lepra leprosity

Questions

How do you pronounce leprosy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɛpɹəsi/.
What does leprosy mean?
An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, gradually producing nerve damage and patches of skin necrosis and historically handled by permanently quarantining its sufferers.
Where does leprosy come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce leprosy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “leprosy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlɛpɹəsi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “leprosy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “leprosy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.