Leprosy is an infectious disease that damages people's flesh.
leprosy in British English
(ˈlɛprəsɪ)
noun
pathology
a chronic infectious disease occurring mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, characterized by the formation of painful inflamed nodules beneath the skin and disfigurement and wasting of affected parts, caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae
Also called: Hansen's disease
Word origin
C16: from leprous + -y3
leprosy in American English
(ˈlɛprəsi)
noun
a progressive infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) that attacks the skin, flesh, nerves, etc.; it is characterized by nodules, ulcers, white scaly scabs, deformities, and the eventual loss of sensation, and is apparently communicated only after long and close contact
Word origin
ME leprūsē < leprus, lepros: see leprous
Examples of 'leprosy' in a sentence
leprosy
One of the earliest recorded epidemic diseases was leprosy.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
They had leprosy, a disease for which there was no cure.
Christianity Today (2000)
Beyond an employment project for cured leprosy patients, the road became a causeway across flooded land.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
And that is the worst disease in the world today, not tuberculosis or leprosy.
Bertodano, Theresa (ed.) Daily Readings with Mother Theresa (1993)
There were a lot of badly disfigured individuals who'd suffered the nerve damage leprosy causes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I met dozens of leprosy patients during my stay.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We try to help with the problems leprosy can cause - often drugs and medical care are the least of it.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In the city there were tens of thousands dying of starvation, tuberculosis, leprosy and other diseases.