Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Syphilis \Syph"i*lis\, n. [NL., fr. Syphilus, the name of a
   shepherd in the Latin poem of Fracastoro, ``Syphilus, sive
   Morbus Gallicus,'' which was published in 1530; Gr. ? hog,
   swine + ? dear, loving. The term was introduced into nosology
   by Sauvages.] (Med.)
   The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious
   disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by
   hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known
   as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under
   {Primary}, {Secondary}, and {Tertiary}.

Source : WordNet®

syphilis
     n : a common venereal disease caused by the Treponema pallidum
         spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages;
         can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)
         [syn: {syph}, {pox}]