Dictionary
diph•the•ri•a
Pronunciation: (dif-thēr'ē-u, dip-), [key]—
n. Pathol.
a febrile, infectious disease caused by the bacillus
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and characterized by the formation of a false membrane in the air passages, esp. the throat.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.