What does "syphilis" mean?

Syphilis: The pox, or venereal disease; a chronic, specific, infectious disease, usually communicated by sexual intercourse or by hereditary transmission, and occurring in three stages known as primary, secondary, and tertiary syphilis. See under Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.Treponema pallidum. Usu. tretable with penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics.