febrifuge

[feb-ruh-fyooj]

adjective

serving to dispel or reduce fever, as a medicine.

noun

such a medicine or agent.
a cooling drink.

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 of febrifuge

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.
Chats on Oriental China
J. F. Blacker
It has been much employed in Italy and on the Continent as a febrifuge.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
It is sometimes given as a febrifuge, and as a remedy for cold in the head.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
The bark is valuable as a tonic and febrifuge, and is also used for a kind of bitters.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2
Various

British Dictionary definitions for febrifuge

febrifuge

noun

any drug or agent for reducing fever

adjective

serving to reduce fever

Derived Formsfebrifugal (fɪˈbrɪfjʊɡəl, ˌfɛbrɪˈfjuːɡəl), adjective

Word Origin for febrifuge

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

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

febrifuge in Medicine

febrifuge

[fĕb′rə-fyōōj′]

An agent that acts to reduce a fever; an antipyretic.

adj.

Acting to reduce fever.