puerperal fever
noun Pathology.
a systemic bacterial infection of the endometrium characterized by fever, rapid heartbeat, uterine tenderness, and malodorous discharge, chiefly occurring in women after childbirth, usually as the result of unsterile obstetric procedures.
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Origin of puerperal fever
First recorded in 1760–70
Words nearby puerperal fever
puerilism, puerility, puerpera, puerperal, puerperal eclampsia, puerperal fever, puerperal metritis, puerperal psychosis, puerperal septicemia, puerperal tetanus, puerperant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for puerperal fever
puerperal fever
noun
a serious, formerly widespread, form of blood poisoning caused by infection contracted during childbirth
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
Medical definitions for puerperal fever
puerperal fever
n.
An illness caused by infection of the endometrium following childbirth or an abortion, marked by fever and septicemia and usually caused by unsterile technique.childbed fever
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.