scarlet fever

noun

: an acute contagious febrile disease caused by hemolytic Group A streptococci and characterized by inflammation of the nose, throat, and mouth, generalized toxemia, and a red rash

Examples of scarlet fever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The most common causes include Kawasaki disease, scarlet fever, toxic shock syndrome, and vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 24 Oct. 2024

Born in July 1935 in New Brunswick, Canada, Donald McNichol Sutherland was a sickly child, battling polio, pneumonia and scarlet fever, among other diseases, as a boy. —Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2024

Albion Fellows Bacon: housing crusader 1865-1933 After two of Bacon's children developed scarlet fever, the Evansville mother of four went first to their schools and then the city's riverfront slums, looking for the source of their infection. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Aug. 2016

If your child has scarlet fever, consult a physician to be tested for strep throat and treated with antibiotics. —Parents Editors, Parents, 3 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1651, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

scarlet fever

noun

: a contagious disease caused by a bacterium and characterized by fever, swelling, pain in the nose, throat, and mouth, and a red rash

Medical Definition

scarlet fever

noun

scar·​let fever ˈskär-lət- 

: an acute contagious febrile disease caused by Group A bacteria of the genus Streptococcus (especially various strains of S. pyogenes) and characterized by inflammation of the nose, throat, and mouth, generalized toxemia, and a red rash

called also scarlatina