febr(i)-
Fever.
[]
The adjective is febrile, usually meaning feverish or relating to fever, but with a subsidiary sense of showing nervous excitement; a febrifuge (Latin fugare, drive away) is a medication that dispels or reduces fever; a febricule is a brief fever; febriphobia is fear of contracting a fever.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.