- a fever, usually malarial, marked by regularly recurring chills
- a chill; fit of shivering
Origin of ague
Middle English from Old French ague from Medieval Latin (febris) acuta, violent (fever): see acuteague
a·gueWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"ague." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE>.
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ague. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE
ague
noun
- A febrile condition in which there are alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating. Used chiefly in reference to the fevers associated with malaria.
- A chill or fit of shivering.
Origin of ague
Middle English from Old French (fievre) ague sharp (fever) from Medieval Latin (febris) acūta from Latin feminine of acūtus ; see acute .Related Forms:
- a′gu·ish
adjective
- a′gu·ish·ly
adverb
- a′gu·ish·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"ague." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE>.
APA Style
ague. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE
Noun
(plural agues)
- (pathology) An intermittent fever, attended by alternate cold and hot fits.
- The cold fit or rigor of the intermittent fever; as, fever and ague.
- A chill, or state of shaking, as with cold.
Usage notes
The pronunciation IPA: /ˈeɪɡ/ is a common mispronunciation by people to whom this is a book word (a word one learns by reading and has never heard spoken). IPA: /ˈeɪ.ɡju/ is the correct pronunciation.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present agues, present participle aguing, simple past and past participle agued)
Origin
See also: aguëMiddle English agu, ague, from Old French and Middle French (fievre) aguë, “acute (fever)” (Modern French fièvre aigüe), from Late Latin (febris) acuta (“acute fever”), from acūtus (“sharp, acute”) + febris (“fever”).
Cognate to acute.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"ague." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE>.
APA Style
ague. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE
ague - Medical Definition
n.
- A febrile condition in which there are alternating periods of chills, fever, and sweating. Used chiefly in reference to the fevers associated with malaria.
- A chill or fit of shivering.
Related Forms:
- a′gu·ish (ā′gyo͞o-ĭsh)
adj.
- a′gu·ish·ly
adv.
- a′gu·ish·ness
n.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"ague." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE>.
APA Style
ague. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/AGUE
