chills and fever
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: * A symptom of malaria: The phrase "chills and fever" refers to the successive, cyclical stages of intense cold shivering followed by high fever, characteristic of a malarial attack.
Usage
"Chills and fever" is a compound noun used specifically in medical contexts to describe a classic symptom pattern. It is often treated as a singular condition or episode.
Examples
- The patient was admitted to the hospital suffering from severe chills and fever.
- A telltale sign of the disease is the recurring cycle of chills and fever.
- The chills and fever associated with malaria can be debilitating.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase can be used descriptively outside of strictly malarial contexts to vividly describe similar symptoms from other severe illnesses, though this is an extension of its core medical meaning.
- After getting caught in the storm, he came down with a terrible case of chills and fever.
Variants and Related Words
- Ague (noun): An archaic or historical term for malarial fever, especially one involving chills and fever.
- Febrile (adjective): Relating to or characterized by fever.
- Rigor (noun): In a medical context, a sudden feeling of cold with shivering accompanied by a rise in body temperature.
Synonyms
- Shakes and fever
- Febrile paroxysm (more clinical term)
Notes on Meaning
This is a fixed phrase describing a specific symptom complex. It is not typically used to describe the common chills that accompany a standard fever from influenza or a cold, which are less severe and cyclical. Its primary and most precise association is with malaria.
Noun
- successive stages of chills and fever that is a symptom of malaria