measles etymology

Etymology

• Medieval Latin: morbilli, from Latin: morbillus ("little disease")
• Middle English: meseles, maseles

Meaning

• An acute, infectious viral disease characterized by fever, rash, and respiratory symptoms

Origin

• Latin:

  • Morbillus is derived from morbus, meaning "disease," and -illus, a diminutive suffix meaning "little disease." This name was used to distinguish measles from smallpox, which was known as morbus major ("great disease").

• Medieval Latin:

  • Morbilli was a plural form of morbillus, used to describe the individual red spots of the measles rash.

• Middle English:

  • Meseles and maseles are early English forms of morbilli, which entered the language via Old French or Middle Dutch.

Usage

The term "measles" was first used in English in the 14th century to describe the disease known as morbilli. It is still used today as the common name for the condition.

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