| ague | 1. An acute fever. "Brenning agues." 2. <medicine> An intermittent fever, attended by alternate cold and hot fits. 3. The cold fit or rigor of the intermittent fever; as, fever and ague. 4. A chill, or state of shaking, as with cold. Ague cake, an enlargement of the spleen produced by ague. Ague drop, a solution of the arsenite of potassa used for ague. Ague fit, a fit of the ague. Ague spell, a spell or charm against ague. Gay. Ague tree, the sassafras, sometimes so called from the use of its root formerly, in cases of ague. Origin: OE. Agu, ague, OF. Agu, F. Aigu, sharp, OF. Fem. Ague, LL. (febris) acuta, a sharp, acute fever, fr. L. Acutus sharp. See Acute. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| brass founder's ague | An occupational disease, characterised by malaria-like symptoms, due to inhalation of particles and fumes of metallic oxides. Fumes are formed by evaporation at very high temperature and condensation in air into fine particles. Synonym: brass founder's ague, foundryman's fever, metal fume fever, zinc fume fever. (05 Mar 2000) |