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

1. successive stages of chills and fever that is a symptom of malaria