Meaning

noun a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta)

originFrom New Latin syphilis, originally the title of a poem, circa 1530, by Girolamo Fracastoro concerning “Syphilus”, a shepherd boy who insulted the Greek god Apollo and was punished by that god with a horrible disease. Syphilis in the Old World began circa 1495; its spread is believed to be part of the Columbian Exchange. More in Wikipedia at History of syphilis.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0