trench fever

noun

: a disease that is usually marked by fever and pain in muscles, bones, and joints and that is caused by a bacterium (Bartonella quintana synonym Rochalimaea quintana) transmitted by the human body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus)

Examples of trench fever in a Sentence

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These diseases are trench fever, epidemic typhus, and louse-borne relapsing fever.54 Summary Body lice are tiny insects that live in bedding and clothes and feed on human blood. — Josephine Hessert, Verywell Health, 2 Dec. 2024 Body lice, which feed on your blood and nothing else, spread many diseases, including typhus and trench fever. — Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trench fever was in 1915

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trench fever
trench foot
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“Trench fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trench%20fever. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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Medical Definition

trench fever

noun
ˈtrench- How to pronounce trench fever (audio)
: a disease that is usually marked by fever and pain in muscles, bones, and joints and that is caused by a bacterium (Bartonella quintana synonym Rochalimaea quintana) transmitted by the human body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus)

More from Merriam-Webster on trench fever

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about trench fever

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