rubella

noun

ru·​bel·​la rü-ˈbe-lə 

: an acute contagious viral disease that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus (Rubivirus rubellae) and milder than typical measles but is damaging to the fetus when occurring early in pregnancy : german measles

Examples of rubella in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine comes in two doses. — ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

So far, she's administered more than 400 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in Amish homes. — Maria Godoy, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026

Some states track measles, mumps and rubella immunization separately; in those states, measles was used to represent MMR rates. — Joe Murphy, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2026

State officials urged Wisconsinites to be proactive in preventing illness to protect themselves and their communities, saying the best way to prevent measles is with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, feminine of rubellus reddish, from ruber red — more at red

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rubella

• brucella
• candela
• capella
• chlorella
• flagella
• glabella
• lamella
• marcella
• mustela
• novella
• patella
• predella

Kids Definition

rubella

noun

ru·​bel·​la rü-ˈbel-ə 

: german measles

Medical Definition

rubella

noun

ru·​bel·​la rü-ˈbel-ə 

: an acute contagious disease that is milder than typical measles but is damaging to the fetus when occurring early in pregnancy and that is caused by a matonavirus (Rubivirus rubellae) : german measles see maternal rubella