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Glite Dictionary
pappataci fever

pappataci fever

9.9
A mild illness from sand fly bites that makes you hot and tired
  • noun
  • /ˈpæpəˌtɑːsi ˈfiːvər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fiebre de pappataci
  • The doctor diagnosed her with pappataci fever after her trip.

Examples

  • Travelers to Mediterranean regions should be aware of pappataci fever, which can be spread by sand flies.

  • Preventative measures against pappataci fever involve using insect repellent and sleeping under nets.

  • Early symptoms of pappataci fever include high temperature and general discomfort.

  • Many tourists suffer from pappataci fever in the summer.

  • Early symptoms of pappataci fever include high temperature and general discomfort.

  • Travelers to Mediterranean regions should be aware of pappataci fever, which can be spread by sand flies.

  • Preventative measures against pappataci fever involve using insect repellent and sleeping under nets.

Synonyms

sandfly fever
vspappataci fever
  • Specialized
7.5

A mild illness caused by a virus spread by sand fly bites that causes fever and muscle pain

focuses on fever and general malaise rather than other symptoms

Antonyms

health
∞ 1.0

The condition of a person's body and mind, especially being free from illness or injury

wellness
52 3.2

Good physical and mental health that people try to keep

Surface Forms

pappataci fever singular
pappataci fevers plural

Morphology

pappataci + fever

The pattern "X fever" is generally compositional — learners can infer a fever associated with X from combining the constituents — and this cross-linguistic disease-naming pattern supports partial predictability. However, 'pappataci' is a rare, technical taxonomic term (not a transparent English word) and its specific meaning (sand-fly–transmitted mild viral disease) requires specialist knowledge, so a B1 learner would only partially infer the MWE's full medical sense.

Etymology

Pappataci fever takes its name from a small sand fly called pappataci, a name that may come from words meaning 'silent eater' because the fly bites quietly at night. So, the name came to mean the fever you get from a bite by these sand flies.