Meanings
nounbreakbone fever (uncountable)
- uncountablemedicinedengue fever.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan infectious disease of the tropics transmitted by mosquitoes and characterized by rash and aching head and joints
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coinage attributed to Benjamin Rush because of the symptoms of myalgia and arthralgia.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
breakbone fever. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breakbone%20fever
MLA
“breakbone fever.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breakbone%20fever. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breakbone fever,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breakbone%20fever.
Source: breakbone fever on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.