A serious and sometimes deadly disease spread through contaminated water that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea.
From Greek 'cholera,' related to 'chole' (bile), because ancient doctors thought the disease was caused by imbalances in bile. The word arrived in English in the 1600s during major epidemics.
The 1854 cholera outbreak in London helped revolutionize public health when Dr. John Snow discovered it was spread through contaminated water, not 'bad air'—this discovery literally created modern epidemiology!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.