Search the Dictionary

ling back; tending to return to a former worse state. Relapsing fever (Med.), an acute, epidemic, contagious fever, which prevails also endemically in Ireland, Russia, and some other regions. It is marked by one or two remissions of the fever, by articular and muscular pains, and by the presence, during the paroxism of…

Any one of several species of northern sea ducks of the genus Oidemia.

See Mactra. -- Surf duck (Zoöl.), any one of several species of sea ducks of the genus Oidemia, especially O. percpicillata; -- called also surf scoter. See the Note under Scoter. -- Surf fish (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of California embiotocoid fishes. See Embiotocoid. -- Surf smelt. (Zoöl.) See Smelt.…

cheese and carrying off the superfluous juices. -- Sweating sickness (Med.), a febrile epidemic disease which prevailed in some countries of Europe, but particularly in England, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, characterized by profuse sweating. Death often occured in a few hours.

Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease.

, the common mullein. -- Velvet duck. (Zoöl.) (a) A large European sea duck, or scoter (Oidemia fusca). The adult male is glossy, velvety black, with a white speculum on each wing, and a white patch behind each eye. (b) The American whitewinged scoter. See Scoter. -- Velvet flower (Bot.), love-lies-bleeding. See unde…

o, a certain class of diseases. See Zymotic disease, below. Zymotic disease (Med.), any epidemic, endemic, contagious, or sporadic affection which is produced by some morbific principle or organism acting on the system like a ferment.