sweating sickness

noun

1. a febrile epidemic disease that appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries: characterized by profuse sweating and frequently fatal in a few hours.

sweating sickness

noun

1. the nontechnical name for miliary fever
2. an acute infectious febrile disease that was widespread in Europe during the late 15th century, characterized by profuse sweating
3. a disease of cattle, esp calves, prevalent in southern Africa. Transmitted by ticks, it is characterized by sweating, hair loss, and inflammation of the mouth and eyes

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweating sickness¹

First recorded in 1495–1505

Example Sentences

His cause of death is still debated, but it was likely to have been either the dreaded sweating sickness, a mysterious illness that caused multiple epidemics in the 15th and 16th centuries, or possibly consumption.

From Salon

It may be set 500 years ago, but so much resonates as Thomas Cromwell battles his own version of coronavirus: sweating sickness.

From The Guardian

One researcher speculated that it was the cause of mysterious outbreaks beginning in 1485 of an illness called English sweating sickness.

From New York Times

We also see him as a grief-stricken widower and father, whose wife and young daughters succumbed overnight to sweating sickness.

From Washington Post

But what really made this year deadly was that the first epidemic of the sweating sickness fell on England, killing tens of thousands of men and women.

From The Guardian