1
: a fever (such as malaria) marked by paroxysms (see paroxysm sense 1) of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals
2
: a fit of shivering
aguish adjective

Examples of ague in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Arnaud described a patient called Louis, a French army officer who had served in Tonkin (in Vietnam) but who had been sent home suffering from 'ague' (probably malaria) and symptoms of amnesia, possibly as a result of cerebral malaria. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2016 The fever and ague, diarrhea and dysentery had made dreadful havoc ... and the awful pictures of the tent town or encamping ground at Happy Valley are horrifying in the extreme. Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 29 May 2020 Now ague, biliousness, lumbago, Saint Vitus’s dance and dropsy. Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2019 The Bolt’s +200-mile range puts it beyond the nagging agues of range anxiety. Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ague.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ague, from Medieval Latin (febris) acuta, literally, sharp fever, from Latin, feminine of acutus sharp — more at acute

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ague was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ague

Cite this Entry

“Ague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ague. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ague

noun
1
: a fever (as malaria) marked by outbreaks of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals
2
: a fit of shivering : chill

Medical Definition

ague

noun
1
: a fever (as malaria) marked by paroxysms of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals
2
: a fit of shivering : chill
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