malaria

Meanings

Plural: malarias

Noun

an infective disease caused by sporozoan parasites that are transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito; marked by paroxysms of chills and fever
A disease spread by mosquito, in which a protozoan, Plasmodium, multiplies in blood every few days.
Supposed poisonous air arising from marshy districts, once thought to cause fever.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Italian malaria, formed from mal- (“bad”) and aria (“air”). Introduced into English by the Scottish geologist John MacCulloch (1773–1835). Displaced native Old English unlyft (literally “bad air”).

Synonyms

ague, miasma, paludism

Scrabble Score: 9

malaria is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
malaria is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
malaria is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

malaria is a valid Words With Friends word