From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishleprosylep‧ro‧sy /ˈleprəsi/ noun [uncountable] MIa very serious infectious disease in which the flesh and nerves are gradually destroyed → leper —leprous adjective
Examples from the Corpus
leprosy• In fact leprosy is the least infectious of all the communicable diseases.• Worldwide, 1. 15 million people suffer from leprosy.• Her hair was disorderly, and the color of her skin was bluish black, which is a sign of incurable leprosy.• In football its an affliction like leprosy.• And in 1951 Great Britain, for the first time in modern history, made leprosy a reportable disease.• There was nearly unanimous support for a national leprosy bill among the fourteen witnesses who testified.• In order to save her life the doctors stopped the treatment for the leprosy.• Although the new practices elevated patient morale, they had little effect on the overall structure of the leprosy control program.Origin leprosy (1500-1600) leprous ((12-21 centuries)), from Late Latin leprosus, from lepra; → LEPER 