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rat-bite fever (rătbīt′)
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n.
Either of two infectious diseases contractible from the bite of small rodents, especially rats, specifically:
a. A disease caused by the bacterium Streptobacillus moniliformis and characterized by skin inflammation, back and joint pains, headache, and vomiting.
b. A disease caused by the bacterium Spirillum minus and characterized by ulceration at the site of the bite, rash, and recurrent fever. In this subsense also called sodoku.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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