Lyme disease

UK: /laɪm/ US: /ˈlaɪm dɪˌziz/ ,(līm)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

Lyme dis•ease /ˈlaɪm dɪˌziz/  n. [uncountable]

1. Pathology a serious, recurrent disease characterized by pains in the joints, fatigue, and sometimes problems in the nervous system, caused by a microorganism carried by a tick.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Lyme′ disease′  (līm), [Pathol.]

1. Pathology an acute inflammatory disease caused by a tick-borne spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, characterized by recurrent episodes of decreasing severity in which joint swelling, fever, and rash occur, sometimes with cardiac or nervous system complications.

• after Lyme, Conn., where it was first described

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Lyme disease / laɪm/ noun

1. a disease of domestic animals and humans, caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burghdorferi and transmitted by ticks, and variously affecting the joints, heart, and brain

Etymology: 20th Century: named after Lyme, Connecticut, the town where it was first identified in humans