German measles

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. rubella.

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German measles British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) a nontechnical name for rubella

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German measles Scientific  

/ jûr′mən /

1. An infectious disease caused by the rubella virus of the genus Rubivirus, characterized by mild fever and skin rash. German measles can cause congenital defects if a woman is exposed during early pregnancy.

2. Also called rubella

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German measles Cultural  

1. An acute and contagious disease, caused by a virus, producing symptoms milder than those usually associated with measles.

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German measles can cause severe congenital defects in the developing embryo or fetus of a woman who contracts the disease in her first three months of pregnancy.

Etymology

Origin of German measles

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Smith was a sickly child, contracting bronchial pneumonia, tuberculosis, German measles, mumps and chicken pox which kept her in "periods of lengthy bed rest".

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

Rubella, also known as German measles because German scientists classified it in the 19th century, is a moderate illness for most patients, identified by a spotty and often itchy red rash.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

Numerous other diseases, including Japanese encephalitis, German measles, Marburg virus and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome have been named after geographic regions, which could now be considered prejudicial.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2022

The first taste I had of the power of naming bad things came when in college I mentioned how I’d had German measles when I was young.

From Scientific American • Aug. 11, 2021

We arrived at Flushing at two A. M. and went aboard at once, but not before being well looked over by English commissioners, who examined our foreheads and wrists for German measles.

From Liége on the Line of March An American Girl's Experiences When the Germans Came Through Belgium by Bigelow, Glenna Lindsley