Definition

1. Noun:
   • A historical epidemic disease: "sweating sickness" refers to a highly contagious and often fatal disease that occurred in outbreaks, primarily in England and parts of Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. Its defining symptom was severe, profuse sweating.
   • A disease of livestock: In veterinary medicine, "sweating sickness" also names a specific, tick-borne disease affecting cattle, characterized by fever, sweating, and other systemic symptoms.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Historical Disease):

  • The sweating sickness terrified the population with its sudden onset and high mortality.
  • Historical records describe the rapid spread of sweating sickness through towns.

• Noun (Veterinary Disease):

  • The farmer quarantined the herd after a case of sweating sickness was confirmed.
  • Calves are particularly susceptible to sweating sickness.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in historical contexts to discuss medieval and early modern medicine and societal impact.
• In veterinary contexts, it is a technical term for a specific condition distinct from other bovine illnesses.

Variants and Related Words

• The Sweat: A colloquial historical name for the same epidemic disease.
• English Sweat: Another name used historically to specify the epidemic's association with England.
• Epizootic: (adj/n) Referring to a disease outbreak in an animal population, which can describe the veterinary form of sweating sickness.

Synonyms

• Historical context: The Sweat, English Sweat.
• Veterinary context: Bovine ephemeral fever (Note: This is a similar but distinct condition; it is a near-synonym in general description but not a precise medical synonym).

Related Phrases

• To break out in a sweat: This common phrase describing sudden sweating is linguistically related but not specific to the disease.
• Sudorific: (adj) Causing or inducing sweat, a term that describes a key symptom of the sickness.

Noun

1. epidemic in the 15th and 16th centuries and characterized by profuse sweating and high mortality
2. a disease of cattle (especially calves)