typhus

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noun ty·phus \ ˈtī-fəs \

Definition of typhus

: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

See typhus defined for English-language learners

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Recent Examples of typhus from the Web

The researchers theorized that clusters of small holes present in diseases such as smallpox, measles, typhus, and others could cause an outsized reaction for trypophobes who saw similar patterns in everyday objects.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "If These Photos Disgust You, You May Have Trypophobia," 12 July 2017
But the most painful and powerful memories were of her mother Yvonne, her lifelong inspiration, dying slowly of typhus in Belsen after a 45-mile death march at the war’s end.

— The Economist, "LiberatedObituary: Simone Veil died on June 30th," 5 July 2017
Veil’s mother died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen camp.

— Washington Post, "Simone Veil, iconic European feminist politician, dies at 89," 30 June 2017
Diseases including smallpox, typhus and pneumonia killed nearly eight percent of the prison population.

— brian albrecht, cleveland.com, "Confederate statue controversy yet to reach Ohio's Civil War Rebel monuments (photos, videos)," 3 June 2017
But whereas body lice can spread diseases, including epidemic typhus, trench fever and even the plague, head lice have never been blamed for any such outbreak.

— karen weintraub, Scientific American, "Revenge of the Super Lice," 29 May 2017
Frank died of typhus in early 1945 at Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi concentration camp.

— zach kyle and sven berg, idahostatesman, "Anne Frank Memorial hit with another act of vandalism: ‘It’s a cowardly act, it’s a criminal act’," 11 May 2017
Frank died of typhus in early 1945 at Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi concentration camp.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "Swastika found at Anne Frank Memorial on heels of other vandalism; fund-raisers set," 10 May 2017
In Southern California, fleas are known for infecting people with typhus fever.

— kurt snibbe, Orange County Register, "Bad bugs to watch out for in Southern California," 27 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of typhus

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1785

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TYPHUS Defined for English Language Learners

typhus

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noun

Definition of typhus for English Language Learners

medical : a serious disease that is carried by small insects that live on the bodies of people and animals and that causes high fever, headache, and a dark red rash

TYPHUS Defined for Kids

typhus

play

noun ty·phus \ ˈtī-fəs \

Definition of typhus for Students

:a disease spread especially by body lice and in which there is high fever, delirium, severe headache, and a dark red rash

Medical Dictionary

typhus

play

noun ty·phus \ ˈtī-fəs \

medical Definition of typhus

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

b :murine typhus

c :scrub typhus

Learn More about typhus

Spanish Central: Translation of typhus Nglish: Translation of typhus for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of typhus for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about typhus

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