typhus Definition

typhus
typhus fever
noun

1. medicine.
Any of a group of infectious diseases that are caused by rickettsiae and transmitted to humans by lice carried by rodents. The main symptoms are fever, severe headache, a reddish-purple rash and delirium, and the disease is most prevalent in overcrowded and insanitary living conditions.

Derivative: typhous
adj

Etymology: 18c: Latin, from Greek typhos smoke or stupour.