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sextan

[ sek-stuhn ]
/ ˈsɛk stən /
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adjective
(of a fever) characterized by paroxysms that recur every sixth day.
noun
a sextan fever.
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Origin of sextan

First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin sextān(a) (febris) “sixth day (fever),” equivalent to Latin sext(us) sixth + āna -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for sextan

sextan
/ (ˈsɛkstən) /

adjective
(of a fever) marked by paroxysms that recur after an interval of five days

Word Origin for sextan

C17: from Medieval Latin sextana (febris) (fever) of the sixth (day)
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
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