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measles

UK/ˈmiːzəlz/US/ˈmizəlz/
nounB1+Common in everyday speech and writing · #5,821 of 15,258neutral

Measles is a catching illness that covers the skin in red spots. Catch measles, the measles vaccine, German measles.

It is among the most contagious diseases known, and the vaccine gave the world a real chance of ending it before uptake fell. German measles is a different and milder illness properly called rubella, dangerous mainly in pregnancy.

CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice · Public domain

Definitions of measles

  1. 1nounmeaslesA catching illness that covers the skin in red spots.B1+

    “The doctor recognised the red spots at once: the boy had measles.”

measles is an illness.

Where it comes from

Probably from a Middle Dutch or Low German word for blood blisters or red blemishes.

  1. Old High German

    masala — blood blister, phlegmon

  2. Middle Low German

    maselen — red blemishes, measels

  3. Middle Dutch

    masels — blood blisters, measels

  4. English, today

    measles

Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). a doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele & māsel. Influenced in pronunciation and some senses by mesel (“leprous, leper”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

measles in the wild

  • Other names include morbilli, rubeola, 9-day measles, red measles, and English measles.

    Measles

  • Testing for the measles virus in suspected cases is important for public health efforts.

    Measles

  • After two doses, 97% of people are protected against measles, 88% against mumps, and at least 97% against rubella.

    MMR vaccine

  • The rash is sometimes itchy and is not as bright as that of measles.

    Rubella

  • Often it is given in combination with the measles vaccine and mumps vaccine, known as the MMR vaccine.

    Rubella

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.