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bluetongue

[bloo-tuhng]
noun Veterinary Pathology.
  1. a viral disease of sheep and sometimes cattle, transmitted by biting insects and characterized by high fever, excessive salivation, swelling of the face and tongue, and cyanosis of the tongue.
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Origin of bluetongue

First recorded in 1860–65; blue + tongue
Also called catarrhal fever.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for bluetongue

bluetongue1

noun
  1. an Australian lizard, Tiliqua scincoides, having a cobalt-blue tongue
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bluetongue2

noun
  1. vet science a viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants transmitted by arthropods and characterized by reproductive problems or vasculitis. Sheep, which are most frequently affected, develop swelling of the face and a cyanotic tongue
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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