noun
Archaic standalone noun; in modern Japanese, 下痢 (げり) is the standard word. This form survives mainly in medical or historical contexts and in compounds.
古い医学書には「痢」という病名がよく出てくる。
In old medical texts, the disease name 痢 often appears.
Modern standard word for diarrhea; 痢 is its archaic standalone counterpart.
The kanji 痢 has been used historically for diarrheal diseases. The exact derivation is uncertain; it is now mostly encountered in the compound 下痢.