typhus

noun

ty·​phus ˈtī-fəs 

: any of various bacterial diseases caused by rickettsias: such as

a

: a severe human febrile disease that is caused by one (Rickettsia prowazekii) transmitted especially by body lice and is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium, intense headache, and a dark red rash

b

: murine typhus

c

: scrub typhus

Examples of typhus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fleas can also transmit diseases to dogs, such as typhus and tapeworms. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2022

Margot weighed only 76 pounds and was nearly dead from starvation and typhus; the schoolteacher sent her to summer camp and private schools and, Ms. Heuman said, nurtured her like a mother. —New York Times, 27 May 2022

And during the 1940s, it was seen as a panacea for America’s malaria problem – as well as a way to prevent body lice, polio, typhus and a bunch of other ailments. —Chris Cillizza, CNN, 24 Oct. 2022

By then, the United States had already ratified the International Sanitary Convention for Aerial Navigation of 1933, which focused on preventing the spread plague, cholera, yellow fever, typhus and smallpox via air traffic. —Jeffrey E. Harris, STAT, 24 Apr. 2022

But Frank, who died at 15 of typhus at Bergen-Belsen days after the death of her sister, Margot, has been betrayed in so many ways. —Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2022

Sanitation officials argue that the more comprehensive cleanups are also driven by public health concerns, to ensure that encampments do not suffer from an outbreak of hepatitis, typhus or other illnesses. —Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2021

Upon arrival in Morocco, Woodward found himself in the midst of a typhus epidemic. —Steve Bowersox, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 31 Oct. 2021

The all-encompassing nature of epidemics was clear to the German physician Rudolf Virchow, who investigated a typhus outbreak in 1848. —Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2021

See More

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek typhos fever; akin to Greek typhein to smoke — more at deaf

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing typhus

• murine typhus
• scrub typhus

• murine typhus
• scrub typhus

Kids Definition

typhus

noun

ty·​phus ˈtī-fəs 

: any of various diseases caused by bacteria that are rickettsias: as

a

: a severe disease that is marked by high fever, muscle and joint pain, cough, intense headache, and a red rash, and that is passed on especially by body lice

b

: a mild disease that is marked by fever, headache, and red rash and is passed on by fleas

Medical Definition

typhus

noun

ty·​phus ˈtī-fəs 

: any of various bacterial diseases caused by rickettsial bacteria: as

a

: a severe human febrile disease that is caused by one (Rickettsia prowazekii) transmitted especially by body lice and is marked by high fever, stupor alternating with delirium, intense headache, and a dark red rash

called also louse-borne typhus

b

: murine typhus

c

: scrub typhus