measles

American  

[mee-zuhlz] / ˈmi zəlz /

noun

1. (used with a singular or plural verb)

   1. an acute infectious disease occurring mostly in children, characterized by catarrhal and febrile symptoms and an eruption of small red spots; rubeola.

   2. any of certain other eruptive diseases.

2. Veterinary Pathology. a disease in swine and other animals caused by the larvae of certain tapeworms of the genus Taenia.

3. (used with a plural verb) the larvae that cause measles in swine and other animals, and that upon maturation produce trichinosis in humans.

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measles British  

/ ˈmiːzəlz /

noun

1. Technical names: morbilli.   rubeola.  a highly contagious viral disease common in children, characterized by fever, profuse nasal discharge of mucus, conjunctivitis, and a rash of small red spots spreading from the forehead down to the limbs See also German measles

2. a disease of cattle, sheep, and pigs, caused by infestation with tapeworm larvae

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measles Scientific  

/ mē′zəlz /

1. An infectious disease caused by the rubeola virus of the genus Morbillivirus, characterized by fever, cough, and a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. Vaccinations, usually given in early childhood, confer immunity to measles.

2. Also called rubeola

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measles Cultural  

1. An acute and contagious disease caused by a virus and characterized by the outbreak of small red spots on the skin. Measles occurs most often in school-age children. (Compare German measles.)

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Etymology

Origin of measles

1275–1325; Middle English mesels, variant of maseles (plural); cognate with Dutch maselen (plural), Middle Dutch masel; akin to German Masern measles, plural of Maser speck

Explanation

Measles is a serious contagious illness that's distinctive for the bright red spots that can spread over the entire body. One of the vaccines most young children receive helps keep them from getting measles. Measles used to be a disease that killed many people — it's estimated that between the mid-nineteenth century and 2005, about 200 million people died from measles. Today about 85 percent of children worldwide are vaccinated against measles, so it's much less common than it once was. The word measles most likely comes from the Middle Dutch masel, or "blemish."

Example Sentences

"I caught measles in the middle of 1942, and my doctor told me to spend three weeks in bed in quarantine," the 85-year-old recalled.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

The U.S. is in the midst of a troubling measles resurgence, with annual caseloads hitting levels not seen in more than three decades.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

The largest number of measles cases nationally in recent history was in 1990, when 27,808 were reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

This is the fourth measles case confirmed in a passenger passing through LAX while possibly contagious this year, and the sixth case overall reported by L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

What’s true for measles in the Faeroes is true of our other familiar acute infectious diseases throughout the world.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond