measles
/ˈmizəlz/ · noun
Meaning
- 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.
- Any disease causing red rashes.
- Used as an intensifier.
- Synonym of cysticercosis: A disease of livestock or meat caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae.
- Any disease causing a tree's bark to become rough and irregular.
- plural of measle: a red spot forming part of a rash, (now) particularly those caused by M. morbillivirus.
- plural of measle: any similar-looking red spot, particularly (printing) foxing.
- plural of measle: the individual cysts of cysticercosis.
- plural of measle: the individual blisters in the surface of a diseased tree's bark.
- A discreet assassination made to look like death from any natural cause.
- third-person singular simple present indicative of measle
- plural of measle
- Alternative form of mesels: Leprosy.
Etymology / origin
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”).
- masele(gml)→
- masala(goh)→
- maselen(gml)→
- masels(dum)→
- measles (English)
- Relations: der, der, der, cog
Related words
Descendant words
- mæslinger(Danish) (cog)
Sources
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