definitions
  • synonyms

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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Nearby words

puerilism, puerility, puerpera, puerperal, puerperal eclampsia, puerperal fever, puerperal metritis, puerperal psychosis, puerperal septicemia, puerperal tetanus, puerperant

Origin of puerperal fever

First recorded in 1760–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Medicine 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.