measles
nounverbnounattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈmiːzəlz//
- United States//ˈmizəlz//
An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
noun
- 1
An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
Maybe it's the 'measles. They say they're going around the neighborhood.
Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it.
In the camps a case of measles is defined as a generalized rash of three or more days duration, with a fever of at least 38.8°C.., and any one of the following: cough, coryza or conjunctivitis.
Although the MMR vaccine was introduced in 1988, Britain offered separate measles injections until 1999.
- 2
obsoleteAny disease causing red rashes.
- 3
obsoleteUsed as an intensifier.
Why the meazills, should you stand heere, with your traine...
- 4
Synonym of cysticercosis: A disease of livestock or meat caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae.
The Swyne dyed of the Measils.
Porcine measles, thought by classical writers to be leprosy, is actually the result of tapeworm cysts which cause ulcerations of the pig's tongue.
- 5
obsoleteAny disease causing a tree's bark to become rough and irregular.
Their fruit-trees are subject to two diseases, the Meazels... and lowsiness.
- 6
A discreet assassination made to look like death from any natural cause.
[…] they would prefer having him "die of the measles," as wags at the CIA put it, than be punished by legal means. If there is no convenient way of administering the "measles," they may even favor simply letting him go.
Such final solutions, sometimes referred to as termination with extreme prejudice, are known in the CIA as dying of the measles — that is, the death appears to be of natural causes.
- 7
Also a form of measleplural of measle: a red spot forming part of a rash, (now) particularly those caused by M. morbillivirus.
Others take a fether, and dippe it in the saide water, and therwith they annoynte all the Measells of the Face when they are come forth.
- 8
Also a form of measlefigurativeplural of measle: any similar-looking red spot, particularly (printing) foxing.
Measles. When prints are imperfectly fixed, the appearance presented is very similar to that of the same disease in the human subject. Hence the name.
The stars, like measles, fade at last.
The Lady Tofaa also had a red measle of paint on her forehead between her eyes.
How do I get the measles out of an Indian paper print, Lovejoy?... Measles is trade nickname for foxing, those brown spots... that trouble books, prints, and watercolors.
- 9
Also a form of measleplural of measle: the individual cysts of cysticercosis.
- 10
Also a form of measleobsoleteplural of measle: the individual blisters in the surface of a diseased tree's bark.
Etymology
Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele & māsel. Influenced in pronunciation and some senses by mesel (“leprous, leper”).
verb
- 1
Also a form of measlethird-person singular simple present indicative of measle
noun
- 1
Also a form of measleobsoleteplural of measle
- 2
Variant of meselsobsoleteAlternative form of mesels: Leprosy.
Etymology
From Middle English mesel (“leprous, leper”), from Norman mesel (“leprous, leper”), from Old French mesel (“leprous, leper”), from Late Latin misellus (“leper”), from miser (“wretched, wretch”) + -ellus (“-elle”).
measles · An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny…
measure · A prescribed quantity or extent. A limit that cannot be…measured · That has been determined by measurement.measurement · The act of measuring.