Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mononucleosis

mononucleosis

3 6.5
A disease you catch that causes fever, swollen glands, and long tiredness
  • noun
  • /ˌmɒnəʊnjuːˈkliːəʊsɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mononucleosis
  • After being diagnosed with mononucleosis, she had to rest for several weeks to recover.
  • infectious mononucleosis

Antibiotics won't help mononucleosis at all.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • When infection with EBV occurs during adolescence and young adulthood, it is called infectious mononucleosis or mono.

    Blog text (25)

  • College students today have never heard of mononucleosis.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The doctor said I had mononucleosis, which meant no rough play and more fever for at least another three weeks.

  • I stopped playing hockey in 1980, at nineteen, when I contracted mononucleosis.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The CDC states that infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, is a contagious disease.

  • Infectious mononucleosis is estimated to occur in approximately 350 of every 100,000 adolescents.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and usually has a benign, self-limited clinical course.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Many students develop mononucleosis during their college years, leading to missed classes and activities.

  • The symptoms of mononucleosis include fatigue, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

Synonyms

mono
vsmononucleosis
  • Informal
15 7.4

An infection that causes fever, sore throat, tiredness, and swollen glands

is the formal medical term used in clinical descriptions
kissing disease
vsmononucleosis
  • Informal
1 3.7

An illness caused by a virus that spreads through saliva between people

does not emphasise transmission route, focusing on symptoms instead
infectious mononucleosis
vsmononucleosis
  • Specialized
4.2

A sickness caused by a virus that gives fever, sore throat, and swollen glands

is the same disease but uses a slightly different medical name
glandular fever
vsmononucleosis
  • UK
4.2

An infectious illness that causes fever, tiredness, and swollen glands

focuses more on increased mononuclear white blood cells as a diagnostic sign

Compounds

infectious mononucleosis
  • Specialized
4.2

A sickness caused by a virus that gives fever, sore throat, and swollen glands

Surface Forms

mononucleosis singular
mononucleoses plural

Morphology

mononucleosis = mono + nucle + osis

The term is built from classical medical elements meaning 'single' and 'nucleus' plus '-osis', but the disease sense is specialized and not directly recoverable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Mononucleosis is built from mono- 'one', nucle- 'nucleus' or 'center', like in nuclear, and -osis 'condition'. It names the illness where many white blood cells each have a single 'center' or nucleus, which is why doctors use this word for that infection.