intermittent fever

A patient rests in bed with an intermittent fever.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Medical condition: "intermittent fever" refers to a type of fever in which the body temperature repeatedly rises and falls, with periods of normal temperature between episodes. It is often associated with infectious diseases such as malaria.

Usage Examples

• (A fever that comes and goes in cycles with normal intervals.)
• (A recurring fever pattern linked to a specific illness.)

Advanced Usage

• "to have intermittent fever": to suffer from a fever that alternates between high and normal temperatures.

  • She has had intermittent fever for a week, with spikes every evening. (She experiences periodic fevers with regular breaks.)

• "intermittent fever in literature": historically used to describe fevers like those from malaria or typhoid.

  • In 19th-century medical texts, intermittent fever was often treated with quinine. (A historical reference to a known treatment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Intermittent (adj): occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.

  • The intermittent rain made it hard to plan outdoor activities. (Rain that stops and starts unpredictably.)

• Fever (n): an abnormally high body temperature, usually caused by illness.

  • A high fever often accompanies infections. (Elevated body temperature as a symptom.)

Synonyms

• Recurrent fever: a fever that returns after periods of normal temperature.
• Periodic fever: a fever that occurs at regular intervals.

Related Idioms

• "Fever pitch": a state of extreme excitement or agitation.

  • The crowd reached fever pitch as the team scored the winning goal. (Intense excitement, unrelated to actual fever.)

• "Break the fever": to cause the fever to subside.

  • The medication helped break the fever after two days. (Reduce the high temperature.)