kala-azar

[ kah-lah-ah-zahr, kah-luh-az-er ]
/ ˌkɑ lɑ ɑˈzɑr, ˌkɑ ləˈæz ər /

noun Pathology.

a chronic, usually fatal disease occurring in tropical areas of Asia and the Western Hemisphere, characterized by irregular fever, enlargement of the spleen, anemia, and emaciation, caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani.
Also called Dumdum fever, visceral leishmaniasis.

Origin of kala-azar

1880–85; < Hindi, equivalent to kālā black + Persian āzār disease

Words nearby kala-azar

Example sentences from the Web for kala-azar

  • It is commonly known as "Kala-azar," or "dum-dum" fever, and more technically as tropical leishmaniasis.

    Handbook of Medical Entomology |William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for kala-azar

kala-azar
/ (ˌkɑːləəˈzɑː) /

noun

a tropical infectious disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani in the liver, spleen, etc, characterized by fever and weight loss; visceral leishmaniasis

Word Origin for kala-azar

from Assamese kālā black + āzār disease

Medical definitions for kala-azar

kala-azar
[ kä′lə-ə-zär ]

n.

visceral leishmaniasis