whooping cough: Meaning and Definition of

whoop'ing cough"

Pronunciation: (h'ping, hoop'ing), [key]
— Pathol. Pathol.
  1. an infectious disease of the respiratory mucous membrane, caused by Bordetella pertussis, characterized by a series of short, convulsive coughs followed by a deep inspiration accompanied by a whooping sound. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.