measles

[ mee-zuhlz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb) Pathology.
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. Compare German measles.
Veterinary Pathology. a disease in swine and other animals caused by the larvae of certain tapeworms of the genus Taenia.
(used with a plural verb) the larvae that cause measles in swine and other animals, and that upon maturation produce trichinosis in humans.

measles

/ ˈ��ː��ə�� /

noun

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 Technical namesmorbillirubeola See also German measles
a disease of cattle, sheep, and pigs, caused by infestation with tapeworm larvae

measles

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.
Also called rubeola

measles

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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Word History and Origins

Origin of measles¹

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of measles¹

C14: from Middle Low German masele spot on the skin; influenced by Middle English mesel leper, from Latin misellus, diminutive of miser wretched

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The measles outbreak in west Texas didn’t happen just by chance.

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In the 25 years since, there have been 10,570 measles cases, including the 800 people sickened in the outbreak that began in west Texas in January.

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The publicly funded schools are among the few remaining soft spots in California’s stringent childhood vaccination laws, which lawmakers tightened after a measles outbreak that began at Disneyland in 2014 sickened more than 300 people.

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The resurgence of measles serves as a cautionary tale for allowing bureaucratic maneuvering to undermine the integrity of vaccine policy and public health.

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The result was predictable: measles spread rapidly and children started dying.

From

measled measly

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