tertian

American  

[tur-shuhn] / ˈtɜr ʃən /

adjective

1. Pathology. (of a malarial fever, etc.) characterized by paroxysms that recur every other day.

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noun

1. Pathology. a tertian fever.

2. a Jesuit during the period of tertianship.

tertian British  

/ ˈtɜːʃən /

adjective

1. (of a fever or the symptoms of a disease, esp malaria) occurring every other day

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noun

1. a tertian fever or symptoms

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtertian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tertian

1325–75; Middle English terciane < Latin ( febris ) tertiāna tertian (fever), equivalent to terti ( us ) third + -āna, feminine of -ānus -an

Example Sentences

Last week he died of tertian malaria, nephritis and influenza, was buried on a hilltop in Addis Ababa.

From Time Magazine Archive

Like quinine, it does not kill sexual forms of malignant tertian malaria.

From Time Magazine Archive

Quinine also destroys the sexual forms of all but P. falciparum, which means that even after he is "cured" by quinine a patient with malignant tertian malaria can give the protozoa to any suitable mosquito.

From Time Magazine Archive

Influenza, tertian fever, leprosy were all endemic, along with tapeworm and a mysterious intestinal infestation that made its victim long to eat earth.

From Time Magazine Archive

To have health in this climate—that is to say, to escape malaria—you must abjure vegetation; and the only way to avoid tertian is to book yourself for a sunstroke.

From Tony Butler by Lever, Charles James