scarlet fever


nounPathology.
  1. a contagious febrile disease caused by streptococci and characterized by a scarlet eruption.

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Origin of scarlet fever

1
First recorded in 1670–80

Words Nearby scarlet fever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scarlet fever in a sentence

  • In severe cases of smallpox and scarlet fever the entire outer skin of the hand may peel off like a glove.

  • Insist upon keeping a scarlet fever or measles patient out of school until all scaling has ceased.

British Dictionary definitions for scarlet fever

scarlet fever

noun
  1. an acute communicable disease characterized by fever, strawberry-coloured tongue, and a typical rash starting on the neck and chest and spreading to the abdomen and limbs, caused by all group A haemolytic Streptococcus bacteria: Technical name: scarlatina

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for scarlet fever

scarlet fever

[ skärlĭt ]


  1. A severe acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, occurring mainly in children, and marked by high fever, sore throat and a red skin rash.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for scarlet fever

scarlet fever

An acute and contagious disease caused by a kind of streptococcus. Characterized by fever, sore throat, and a bright red rash, scarlet fever can be treated with penicillin.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.