Legionnaires' disease

noun

Le·​gion·​naires' disease ˌlē-jə-ˈnerz- How to pronounce Legionnaires' disease (audio)
variants or less commonly Legionnaire's disease
: pneumonia that is caused by a bacterium (Legionella pneumophila), is characterized initially by symptoms resembling influenza (as malaise, headache, and muscular aches) followed by high fever, cough, diarrhea, severe pneumonia, and mental confusion, and that may be fatal especially in elderly and immunocompromised individuals

Examples of Legionnaires' disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Three senior citizens have died after contracting Legionnaires' disease — a form of pneumonia that can spread via water — at an assisted living facility in Albany, New York, according to reports. Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024 Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season What is Legionnaires' disease? Legionnaires' disease is caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. Max Hauptman, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2024 Outbreak at Vegas hotel:Legionnaires' disease cases at Las Vegas hotels under investigation How does meningococcal disease spread? Monique Calello, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2023 Two workers at Stellantis' Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Macomb County have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2023 Snyder, 62, and eight others who worked under him face a host of charges stemming from a water supply switch in 2014 that exposed Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead and Legionnaires' disease. NBC News, 14 Jan. 2021

Word History

Etymology

from its first recognized occurrence at an American Legion convention in 1976

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Legionnaires' disease was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near Legionnaires' disease

Cite this Entry

“Legionnaires' disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Legionnaires%27%20disease. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

Legionnaires' disease

noun
variants also Legionnaire's disease
: pneumonia that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Legionella (L. pneumophila), that is characterized initially by symptoms resembling influenza (as malaise, headache, and muscular aches) followed by high fever, cough, diarrhea, lobar pneumonia, and mental confusion, and that may be fatal especially in elderly and immunocompromised individuals see pontiac fever

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