chikungunya

noun chik·un·gun·ya \ ˌchi-kən-ˈgu̇n-yə , ˌchi-ku̇ŋ- \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Definition of chikungunya

: a febrile disease that resembles dengue, occurs especially in parts of Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and is caused by a togavirus (species Chikungunya virus of the genus Alphavirus) transmitted especially by aedes mosquitoes

Chikungunya is rarely fatal but can cause severe fevers, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and muscle and joint pains.
—Martin Enserink

Recent Examples of chikungunya from the Web

Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas more than tripled in the US," 1 May 2018
In tropical regions, people instead contend with malaria, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

— heath macmillan, Smithsonian, "Why Some Summers Are So Appealing For Mosquitoes," 22 June 2018
Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

— lena h. sun, chicagotribune.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas more than tripled in the U.S.," 2 May 2018
Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya compounded a cholera outbreak and a chikungunya epidemic and increased the risk of large-scale spread of the diseases, the United Nations said.

— paul richardson, Bloomberg.com, "Kenyan Rains Raise Risk of Large-Scale Disease Outbreak, UN Says," 3 May 2018
Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

— lena h. sun, chicagotribune.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas more than tripled in the U.S.," 2 May 2018
Zika, West Nile, Lyme, and chikungunya—a growing list of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick, or flea—have confronted the U.S. in recent years, making a lot of people sick.

— fiza pirani, ajc, "Tick, mosquito and flea infections in US more than triple since 2004, CDC warns," 2 May 2018
Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Diseases spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have more than tripled," 1 May 2018
Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses, were almost exclusively transmitted in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Mosquito and tick infections are surging, CDC says," 1 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chikungunya.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chikungunya

borrowed from Kimakonde (Bantu language of the Makonde), alleged to mean "that which bends up"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1954

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

chikungunya

noun chik·un·gun·ya \ ˌchik-ən-ˈgu̇n-yə, ˌchik-u̇ŋ- \

medical Definition of chikungunya

: a febrile disease that resembles dengue, occurs especially in parts of Africa, India, and southeastern Asia, and is caused by a togavirus of the genus Alphavirus (species Chikungunya virus) transmitted by mosquitoes especially of the genus Aedes — called also chikungunya fever