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Glite Dictionary
rabbit fever

rabbit fever

1 8.5
A disease in rabbits and other small animals that can spread to people by ticks, flies or touching infected animals
  • noun
  • /ˈræbɪt ˈfiːvər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fiebre del conejo
  • Ticks are known to transmit rabbit fever to both animals and humans.

Examples

  • Several hunters contracted rabbit fever after handling wild hares last season.

  • He was diagnosed with rabbit fever last week.

  • Rabbit fever can cause serious illness in people if left untreated.

  • Are you aware of rabbit fever and its symptoms?

  • Health professionals warn that rabbit fever can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals.

  • After examining the laboratory samples, the scientist confirmed the presence of the bacteria that causes rabbit fever.

  • Farmers should take precautions to prevent rabbit fever in their livestock, especially during the summer months.

Synonyms

tularemia
vsrabbit fever
  • Specialized
3 9.9

A serious disease caused by bacteria that people get from rabbits or insect bites

is the common informal name for the same disease
deer fly fever
vsrabbit fever
  • Specialized
9.9

A fever people can catch from ticks, flies, or touching infected wild animals like rabbits

is the more general or informal name used for that illness

Surface Forms

rabbit fever singular
rabbit fevers plural

Morphology

rabbit + fever

The compound 'rabbit fever' combines 'rabbit' and 'fever' to denote an illness associated with rabbits, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer it is a disease linked to rabbits (parallel to patterns like 'bird flu' or 'swine fever'). Although specific medical details (vectors or exact pathogen) are not predictable from the words, the core meaning 'a fever/disease involving rabbits' is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Rabbit fever comes from a disease first noticed in wild rabbits. Hunters and farmers who handled sick rabbits often had a high fever, so people began to call the illness 'rabbit fever', and the name now means this animal disease that can infect humans.