FEVER

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fever mean? 

• FEVER (noun)
  The noun FEVER has 2 senses:

1. a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection

2. intense nervous anticipation

  Familiarity information: FEVER used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FEVER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

febricity; febrility; fever; feverishness; pyrexia

Hypernyms ("fever" is a kind of...):

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fever"):

hyperpyrexia (extremely high fever (especially in children))

Derivation:

feverous (having or affected by a fever)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Intense nervous anticipation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Context example:

in a fever of resentment

Hypernyms ("fever" is a kind of...):

anticipation; expectancy (an expectation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fever"):

buck fever (nervous excitement of an inexperienced hunter)

gold fever (greed and the contagious excitement of a gold rush)

 Context examples 

“Mr. Wickfield is unwell in bed, sir, of a rheumatic fever,” he returned; “but Miss Wickfield, I have no doubt, will be happy to see old friends. Will you walk in, sir?”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

For that matter, high-strung and finely sensitive, the ill treatment had flung him into a fever, which was fed by the inflammation of his parched and swollen throat and tongue.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A form of angiofollicular lymphoid hyperplasia characterized by fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, hypergammaglobulinemia, and dysfunction of multiple organs.

(Multicentric Angiofollicular Lymphoid Hyperplasia, NCI Thesaurus)

A systemic disease, often associated with arthritis, fever, and weight loss.

(Multicentric Reticulohistiocytosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Common symptoms may include: • Bone pain, often in the back or ribs • Broken bones • Weakness or fatigue • Weight loss • Repeated infections • Frequent infections and fevers • Feeling very thirsty • Frequent urination

(Multiple Myeloma, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

Signs and symptoms include fever, enlargement of the tonsils, difficulty swallowing, and enlargement of the regional lymph nodes.

(Acute Tonsillitis, NCI Thesaurus)

Mosquitoes carry and spread several serious diseases, including dengue, malaria, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika.

(Novel insecticide blocks mosquitoes’ ability to urinate, NIH)

I have been since yesterday in a sort of fever of doubt; you must be kind to me, and not think me foolish that I have even half believed some very strange things.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Martin roused himself and sat up and began to eat, between spoonfuls reassuring Maria that he had not been talking in his sleep and that he did not have any fever.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It involves the small intestine, and patients usually present with malabsorption syndrome, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fever.

(Alpha Heavy Chain Disease, NCI Thesaurus)