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DictionaryagueFeverish chills
noun

ague

AY-gyoo/ˈeɪɡjuː/

A bout of fever with chills and trembling.

In the historical novel, an ague leaves the traveler trembling.

A feverish middle-aged man sits on the edge of a bed, visibly shivering and clutching a blanket tightly around his shoulders.
Etymology
agueLatinsharp

Latin “sharp” described an acute fever. Ague acquired the more specific sense of a malarial fever involving episodes of chills and shivering.

In context

Libranima303:22
chatter with his teeth like one in the cold fit of an ague
Don Quixote - Cervantes (Illustrated Audiobook) Part 1 of 4

More examples

  • The doctor in the diary described fever and ague.
  • Repeated bouts of ague weakened the expedition's leader.
  • She wrapped him in blankets during the ague.

Forms

ague · agues

Similar words

fever
Means elevated body temperature without necessarily including shaking chills.
chills
Names the cold, shivering sensation rather than the whole feverish bout.