Measles

[mee-zuh lz] /ˈmi zəlz/

noun
1.
(used with a singular or plural verb) Pathology.

2.
Veterinary Pathology. a disease in swine and other animals caused by the larvae of certain tapeworms of the genus Taenia.
3.
(used with a plural verb) the larvae that cause measles in swine and other animals, and that upon maturation produce trichinosis in humans.
/ˈmiːzəlz/
noun (functioning as singular or pl)
1.
a highly contagious viral disease common in children, characterized by fever, profuse nasal discharge of mucus, conjunctivitis, and a rash of small red spots spreading from the forehead down to the limbs Technical names morbilli, rubeola See also German measles
2.
a disease of cattle, sheep, and pigs, caused by infestation with tapeworm larvae
n.

infectious disease, early 14c., plural of Middle English masel, perhaps from Middle Dutch masel “blemish” (in plural “measles”) or Middle Low German masele, from Proto-Germanic *mas- “spot, blemish” (cf. Old High German masla “blood-blister,” German Masern “measles”).

There might have been an Old English cognate, but if so it has not been recorded. Form probably influenced by Middle English mesel “leprous” (late 13c.).

measles mea·sles (mē’zəlz)
n.

measles
(mē’zəlz)
An infectious disease caused by the rubeola virus of the genus Morbillivirus, characterized by fever, cough, and a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. Vaccinations, usually given in early childhood, confer immunity to measles. Also called rubeola.

An acute and contagious disease caused by a virus and characterized by the outbreak of small red spots on the skin. Measles occurs most often in school-age children. (Compare German measles.)