Paratyphoids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of bacterial infections caused by specific strains closely related to typhoid fever, typically resulting in gastrointestinal disturbances and fever
2. Infections caused by certain Salmonella bacteria characterized by symptoms similar to those of typhoid fever, often affecting the digestive system
3. A category of illnesses arising from Salmonella paratyphi bacteria, presenting with fever and abdominal issues, and distinct from classic typhoid fever

Etymology: This is a plural, so it is the plural of "paratyphoid", a term built from "para-" and "typhoid". The "para-" element comes from Ancient Greek "pará", meaning "beside" or "alongside", and in medical coinages it signals something close to, but not quite, the thing named after it. "Typhoid" is the older and more familiar part: it was formed in English from Greek "typhos", meaning "smoke" or "stupor", the name later applied to the disease that dulls the mind through prolonged fever. Put together, "paratyphoid" names an illness that resembles typhoid fever without being typhoid itself. The plural covers the group of such illnesses, all caused by Salmonella paratyphi bacteria, which is why the plural is used for the category rather than for a single disease.