From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdiphtheriadiph‧ther‧i‧a /dɪfˈθɪəriə, dɪp- $ -ˈθɪr-/ noun [uncountable] MIa serious infectious throat disease that makes breathing difficult
Examples from the Corpus
diphtheria• It may be short-term, for example as a protection against influenza, or almost life-long, for example against diphtheria.• The vaccine can be given at the same time as immunisations against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.• Children were carried off by diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles.• Do not understand your message of 31.10. reporting his death from diphtheria.• He has been very poorly indeed and the doctor says it is diphtheria.• Baby died of diphtheria last night.• The following summer William died of diphtheria.• Bubonic plague, typhoid, polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis, syphilis and gonorrhea still afflict much of the world.Origin diphtheria (1800-1900) Modern Latin Greek diphthera “leather”; because of the hardened skin in the throat 