Etymology

chikungunya

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Today it means: A viral fever caused by the Chikungunya virus, an alphavirus spread by mosquito bites. Full definition →

First used 1952Makonde chikungunya
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The story

  1. Makonde · borrowed fromchikungunya“that which bends up”
  2. English todaychikungunya

Borrowed from Makonde chikungunya (“that which bends up”), apparently referring to the arthritic effects of the disease. See -kunja, a suffix related to bending. Compare Swahili kunja (“to bend, to fold”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1952 A viral fever caused by the Chikungunya virus, an alphavirus spread by mosquito bites.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.