Calenture

Word of the Day - A podcast by Word of the Day

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Calenture is a noun that refers to a fever or illness brought on by heat.  The Latin word calere means ‘be warm.’ By the late 16th century, our word of the day had begun being employed to describe a fever often caught by sailors in the tropics. More recently, it’s been used to describe any kind of feverish delirium caused by heated temperatures. Example: After one week, the Bahamas, I found myself suffering from calenture. I was so delirious I nearly passed up a fried fish sandwich — something I would never do in my right mind.

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