typhus
typhus Lexical Profile
typhus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of a group of acute infectious diseases caused by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia and transmitted to humans by blood-sucking arthropods such as lice, fleas, mites, or ticks, characterized by severe headache, sustained high fever, delirium, and a dark red rash.
"Improved sanitation and pest control measures drastically reduced outbreaks of epidemic typhus in crowded urban centers."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'typhus' with 'typhoid' (or typhoid fever); although both share the same Greek root referring to stupor and fever, typhus is transmitted by arthropod vectors such as lice and fleas, whereas typhoid fever is a bacterial infection spread through contaminated food and water.
• Rhymes for typhus
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-18th century via Modern Latin from Ancient Greek 'typhos', meaning 'smoke, vapor, or stupor', in reference to the delirious, clouded mental state caused by the high fever.