malaria

[ muh-lair-ee-uh ]
See synonyms for malaria on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Pathology. any of a group of diseases, usually intermittent or remittent, characterized by attacks of chills, fever, and sweating: formerly supposed to be due to swamp exhalations but now known to be caused by a parasitic protozoan, which is transferred to the human bloodstream by a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and which occupies and destroys red blood cells.

  2. Archaic. unwholesome or poisonous air.

Origin of malaria

1
1730–40; <Italian, contraction of mala aria bad air

Other words from malaria

  • ma·lar·i·al, ma·lar·i·an, ma·lar·i·ous, adjective
  • non·ma·lar·i·al, adjective
  • non·ma·lar·i·an, adjective
  • non·ma·lar·i·ous, adjective
  • post·ma·lar·i·al, adjective
  • pseu·do·ma·lar·i·a, noun
  • un·ma·lar·i·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for malaria

malaria

/ (məˈlɛərɪə) /


noun
  1. an infectious disease characterized by recurring attacks of chills and fever, caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito infected with any of four protozoans of the genus Plasmodium (P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, or P. ovale)

Origin of malaria

1
C18: from Italian mala aria bad air, from the belief that the disease was caused by the unwholesome air in swampy districts

Derived forms of malaria

  • malarial, malarian or malarious, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for malaria

malaria

[ mə-lârē-ə ]


  1. An infectious disease of tropical areas caused by the parasitic infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Malaria is characterized by recurrent episodes of chills, fever, sweating, and anemia and is endemic in Africa, Central America, and much of Southern Asia and northern South America.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for malaria

malaria

[ (muh-lair-ee-uh) ]


An infectious disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Persons suffering from malaria experience periodic episodes of chills and fever.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.