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febrifuge

[feb-ruh-fyooj]
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adjective
  1. serving to dispel or reduce fever, as a medicine.
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noun
  1. such a medicine or agent.
  2. a cooling drink.
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Origin of febrifuge

1680–90; < French < Late Latin febrifugia plant good for curing fever. See febri-, -fuge
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for febrifuge

Historical Examples

  • Diuretic, febrifuge, and refrigerant; one half to one ounce.

    Cattle and Their Diseases

    Robert Jennings

  • Its medicinal use is secured from the bark employed as a febrifuge.

  • It has been much employed in Italy and on the Continent as a febrifuge.

  • It is sometimes given as a febrifuge, and as a remedy for cold in the head.

  • The bark is valuable as a tonic and febrifuge, and is also used for a kind of bitters.

British Dictionary definitions for febrifuge

febrifuge

noun
  1. any drug or agent for reducing fever
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adjective
  1. serving to reduce fever
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Derived Formsfebrifugal (fɪˈbrɪfjʊɡəl, ˌfɛbrɪˈfjuːɡəl), adjective

Word Origin

C17: from Medieval Latin febrifugia feverfew; see febri-, -fuge
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 febrifuge

n.

1680s, from French fébrifuge, literally "driving fever away," from Latin febris (see fever) + fugare "to put to flight" (see fugitive).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
febrifuge in Medicine

febrifuge

(fĕb′rə-fyōōj′)
n.
  1. An agent that acts to reduce a fever; an antipyretic.
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adj.
  1. Acting to reduce fever.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.