disease

disease
\ \ [14] Disease and malaise are parallel formations: both denote etymologically an ‘impairment of ease or comfort’. Disease comes from Old French desaise, a compound formed from the prefix dis- ‘not, lacking’ and aiseease’, and in fact at first meant literally ‘discomfort’ or ‘uneasiness’. It was only towards the end of the 14th century that this sense began to narrow down in English to ‘sickness’. (Malaise was borrowed from French malaise, an Old French formation from malbad’ and aise.)
\ \ Cf.EASE, MALAISE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • disease — n Disease, disorder, condition, affection, ailment, malady, complaint, distemper, syndrome denote a de ranged bodily state usually associated with or amounting to a loss of health. Disease in its usual and broadest use implies an impairment of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Disease — Dis*ease , n. [OE. disese, OF. desaise; des (L. dis ) + aise ease. See {Ease}.] 1. Lack of ease; uneasiness; trouble; vexation; disquiet. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] So all that night they passed in great disease. Spenser. [1913 Webster] To shield thee …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disease — [di zēz′] n. [ME disese, inconvenience, trouble, sickness < OFr desaise, discomfort < des , DIS + aise, EASE] 1. any departure from health; illness in general 2. a particular destructive process in an organ or organism, with a specific… …   English World dictionary

  • Disease — Dis*ease , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Diseased}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Diseasing}.] 1. To deprive of ease; to disquiet; to trouble; to distress. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] His double burden did him sore disease. Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. To derange the vital… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disease — (n.) early 14c., discomfort, inconvenience, from O.Fr. desaise lack, want; discomfort, distress; trouble, misfortune; disease, sickness, from des without, away (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + aise ease (see EASE (Cf. ease)). Sense of sickness, illness in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • disease — I noun affliction, ailment, attack, bodily deviation from health, bout of sickness, breakdown, chronic disability, collapse, condition, contagion, defect, deterioration, disability, discomfort, disorder, distemper, epidemic, handicap, ill health …   Law dictionary

  • disease — [n] ailment, affliction ache, affection, attack, blight, breakdown, bug*, cancer, canker, collapse, complaint, condition, contagion, contamination, convulsions, debility, decrepitude, defect, disorder, distemper, endemic, epidemic, feebleness,… …   New thesaurus

  • disease — ► NOUN ▪ a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms. DERIVATIVES diseased adjective. ORIGIN Old French desaise lack of ease …   English terms dictionary

  • Disease — Human disease redirects here. For the Slayer song, see Soundtrack to the Apocalypse. Flare up redirects here. For the Transformers character, see Flareup (Transformers). Medical condition redirects here. For the descriptive terminology using… …   Wikipedia

  • disease — diseasedly, adv. diseasedness, n. /di zeez /, n., v., diseased, diseasing. n. 1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection,… …   Universalium

  • disease — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Condition of ill health Nouns 1. disease, illness, sickness, ailment, ailing; morbidity, infirmity, ailment, indisposition; complaint, disorder, malady; functional disorder. 2. condition, affliction,… …   English dictionary for students

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