Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An acute, inflammatory, contagious disease caused by a paramyxovirus and characterized by swelling of the salivary glands, especially the parotids, and sometimes of the pancreas, ovaries, or testes. This disease, mainly affecting children, can be prevented by vaccination.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Sullenness; silent displeasure; sulks.
- n. A contagious non-suppurative inflammation of the parotid and sometimes of the other salivary glands and of the circumglandular connective tissue; idiopathic parotitis. Mumps is usually an innocent affection without dangers or sequelæ. It begins with pain and then swelling behind the jaw, close to the ear, on one side. The pain at first is caused by motion of the jaw or the presence of acids. The other side is involved a day or two later. There may be inflammation of the testes and scrotum in males, or of the mammæ, ovaries, and vulva in females; this extension is, however, mostly confined to pubescence and adult life. One attack usually protects. The period of incubation is thought to be from 7 to 14 days.
- n. A drinking game.
Wiktionary
- n. A contagious disease caused by a virus of the genus Rubulavirus, mostly occurring in childhood, which causes swelling of glands in the face and neck.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Sullenness; silent displeasure; the sulks.
- n. A specific infectious febrile disorder characterized by a nonsuppurative inflammation of the parotid glands, and sometimes causing inflammation of the testes or ovaries; also called
epidemic parotitis orinfectious parotitis . It is caused by infection with a paramyxovirus.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an acute contagious viral disease characterized by fever and by swelling of the parotid glands
Etymologies
- Perhaps from pl. of dialectal mump, grimace.
Examples
“The chipmunk-like appearance of people infected with mumps is how mumps got its name.”
“An outbreak of mumps is sweeping across Iowa, the first in nearly 20 years, and it's puzzling health officials and worrying parents.”
“It is as if the little boy had been taught to believe that by never saying the word mumps, he could save his playmate from tumefying glands.”
“Crawford must have played the older boy who was supposed to take Terry to the school masquerade - until he got the mumps, that is.”
“Dr. Gerberding says the vaccine is the best protection against mumps, which is passed by coughing and sneezing”
“Now when I was shut up in my room with the mumps was the time to begin The French Revolution.”
In the days of my youth when I was a student in the University of Virginia, 1888-1893.
“There is no specific treatment for mumps, which is why vaccination is strongly recommended.”
“You might even call mumps deaths exceedingly rare as does AM Galazka”
“& Co., won Food and Drug Administration approval in 2006 for females ages 9 to 26, and since then some public-health policy makers have argued that for young women, Gardasil should be included alongside the standard regime of commonly administered vaccines, such as mumps and meningitis.”
“On the third day, the sight of the huge cheeks and doubled chin sent the family flying for the doctor, and the tragic verdict of "mumps" was whispered from mouth to mouth.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘mumps’.
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Afflictions of the Realm
archaic diseases
dropsy, quinsy, tisick, measles, croup, gout, canker, teething, overlaying, mold-shot head, thrush, whooping-cough and 42 more...
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fun sounding diseases
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