Other forms: fevers
A fever is when your body gets too hot because you are ill. Run a fever, break the fever, a high fever.
It is generally defined as above 38 degrees, and it is the body's own response rather than the illness itself — raising temperature makes conditions harder for pathogens, which is why treating a mild one is not always helpful. Figuratively, fever means excitement: election fever, fever pitch. Note feverish; and that fever comes from a root meaning to burn.
1nounfeverA raised body temperature caused by illness.
“The fever reached about thirty-nine degrees.”
2nounwidespreadWidespread excitement.
“World Cup fever has taken over the whole country.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
fever is a raised temperature.
Also accepted in games: temperature
Latin febris comes from a root meaning to burn. It displaced the Old English hrith, and the word arrived twice — once from Latin and again through French.
Proto-Indo-European
*dʰegʷʰ- — to burn
Latin
febris — a fever
Old French
fievre — fever
Old English
fefer
Middle English
fever
English, today
fever
Built from
From Middle English fever, fevere, from Old English fefer, fefor (“fever”) and Old French fievre (“fever”), from Latin febris (“a fever”), from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). Displaced native Old English hriþ (“fever”). Compare also stq Fiewer, German Fieber, Danish feber, Swedish feber.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA