Tuberculosis
/ˌtuː.bər.kjʊˈloʊ.sɪs/noun
A serious infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, most often affecting the lungs.
Did you know?The name comes from Latin tuberculum, a diminutive of tuber, and the disease was once identified by the small lumps and lesions it caused in organs and tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teu-
“to swell or bulge”
Latin
Latin
tuber
“a swelling, lump, or protuberance”
Latin
Latin
tuberculum
“a little swelling; a small lump”
Late Latin
Latin
tuberculosis
“a condition marked by small swellings or nodules”
19th Century
English
tuberculosis
“the infectious disease characterized by nodules and wasting, especially in the lungs”
Modern English
English
tuberculosis
“a contagious bacterial disease, usually of the lungs”
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