Main Entry: ra·bies

Pronunciation: \ˈrā-bēz\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural rabies

: an acute virus disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals that is caused by a rhabdovirus (species Rabies virus of the genus Lyssavirus) transmitted in infected saliva usually through the bite of a rabid animal and that is characterized typically by increased salivation, abnormal behavior, and eventual paralysis and death when untreated—called also hydrophobia