Added 9 October 2026
fever
/ˈfiːvə/ noun
In Latin: febris Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fever at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection.
-
Intense nervous anticipation.
in a fever of resentment
Origin
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 Saterland Frisian Fiewer, German Fieber, Danish feber, Swedish feber.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)