yaws
/ˈjɔːz/ noun
Also a form of yaw
- noun (pathology) A contagious tropical disease, caused by the spirochete Treponema pertenue, characterized by yellowish or reddish tumors, which often resemble berries.
Synonyms
Etymology
Uncertain. Attested since the 1670s, perhaps from an English creole (or other language) of the Caribbean.
Inflected forms.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A disease, occurring in the Antilles and in Africa, characterized by yellowish or reddish tumors, of a contagious character, which, in shape and appearance, often resemble currants, strawberries, or raspberries. There are several varieties of this disease, variously known as framboesia, pian, verrugas, and crab-yaws.
Etymology [African yaw a raspberry.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “yaws”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details