From Greek gonos 'seed' + rhoia 'flow'—Galen's 2nd-century misnomer based on the incorrect belief that the discharge was semen.
A sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, primarily affecting mucous membranes.
From Greek gonorrhoia, from gonos 'seed, offspring' + rhoia 'flow, flux.' Galen coined the term in the 2nd century CE based on the mistaken belief that the discharge was an involuntary flow of semen. Despite the error being recognized for centuries, the name stuck. Key roots: *ǵenh₁- (Proto-Indo-European: "to beget, produce"), *srew- (Proto-Indo-European: "to flow").