cholera
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒlərə/
noun
- an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
- The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. See vibrio
Origin:
late Middle English (originally denoting bile and later applied to various ailments involving vomiting and diarrhoea): from Latin (see choler). The current sense dates from the early 19th century