ague

[ey-gyoo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ague ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Pathology. a malarial fever characterized by regularly returning paroxysms, marked by successive cold, hot, and sweating fits.

a fit of fever or shivering or shaking chills, accompanied by malaise, pains in the bones and joints, etc.; chill.

Origin of ague

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French, short for fievre ague acute fever < Latin febris acūta

Related formsa·gue·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ague

fever, malaria

Examples from the Web for ague

Historical Examples of ague

"Yes, and catch their deaths of fever and ague," said Mrs. Bartlett.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
I was but a fortnight in the hospital, the disease being only the fever and ague.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
Fortunately for me, there were two cases of fever and ague in the ship.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
Clearly his fears had been realised, and he had had an attack of the Persian ague.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
He opened his eyes to find the lad shivering as with an ague.
The Tavern Knight
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for ague

ague

noun

a fever with successive stages of fever and chills esp when caused by malaria

a fit of shivering

Derived Formsaguish, adjective

Word Origin for ague

C14: from Old French (fievre) ague acute fever; see acute

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

Word Origin and History for ague

"malarial fever," c.1300, from Old French ague "an acute fever," from Medieval Latin (febris) acuta "sharp (fever)," fem. of acutus "sharp" (see acute).

ague in Medicine

ague

[ā′gyōō]

n.

A febrile condition, especially associated with malaria, characterized by alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating.

A chill or fit of shivering.