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ague

[ey-gyoo]
See more synonyms for ague on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Pathology. a malarial fever characterized by regularly returning paroxysms, marked by successive cold, hot, and sweating fits.
  2. 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. 2018

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.

  • 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
  1. a fever with successive stages of fever and chills esp when caused by malaria
  2. 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
n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ague in Medicine

ague

[ā′gyōō]
n.
  1. A febrile condition, especially associated with malaria, characterized by alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating.
  2. A chill or fit of shivering.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.