Dissenterie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An infectious disease characterized by severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, and inflammation of the intestines, often caused by bacterial or parasitic infection
2. A serious gastrointestinal illness marked by bloody stools, cramping, and violent bowel movements resulting from infection or contamination
3. An acute intestinal disorder involving profuse watery discharge and inflammatory damage to the digestive tract, typically spread through contaminated food or water

Etymology: The Greek word behind "dissenterie" was "dysenteria," built from "dys-," meaning "bad" or "ill," and "enteron," meaning "intestine" or "bowel." The name thus describes the affliction itself: bad bowels. English took the term through Latin and Old French, which spelled the Greek "dys-" as "dis-." That spelling is why the Middle English form looks like it has the same prefix as "dissent" or "dissolve," meaning "apart" or "away." It has no connection to them. The modern spelling "dysentery" restores the Greek letters.