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

And in 1970, an astronaut was yanked from Apollo 13 shortly before launch after being exposed to German measles.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2021

“It’s why we no longer worry about women getting German measles or rubella and having deformed babies,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts.

From Washington Times • Aug. 24, 2021

The virus might turn out to be a batch of dormant German measles.

From Mate in Two Moves by Marks, Winston K.