rabies

[ rey-beez ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. an infectious disease of dogs, cats, and other animals, transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected animal and usually fatal if prophylactic treatment is not administered: caused by an RNA virus of the rhabdovirus group; hydrophobia.

rabies

/ ˌreɪbɪˈɛtɪk; ˈræbɪk; ˈreɪbiːz /

noun

1. pathol an acute infectious viral disease of the nervous system transmitted by the saliva of infected animals, esp dogs. It is characterized by excessive salivation, aversion to water, convulsions, and paralysis Also calledhydrophobialyssa

rabies

/ rā′bēz /

1. A usually fatal infectious disease of warm-blooded animals caused by a virus of the genus Lyssavirus that causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal, such as a dog or bat and can be prevented in humans by a vaccine.
2. See Note at hydrophobia

rabies

1. An acute disease , caused by a virus , which attacks the central nervous system and results in paralysis and death if not treated promptly. Rabies is transmitted to humans by the bite of an animal infected with the disease.

Derived Forms

• rabic, adjective

Other Words From

• rab·ic [rab, -ik, rey, -bik], adjective
• anti·rabies adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabies¹

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin rabiēs “rage, madness,” from rab(ere) “to be mad, rave” + iēs, abstract noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabies¹

C17: from Latin: madness, from rabere to rave

Example Sentences

Indeed, some variants of rabies virus are well-suited to infect particular hosts.

From Science News For Students

Because bats can be a source of human rabies and Lane didn’t know whether she had been exposed to the bat while she was asleep, that meant she needed rabies shots.

From Washington Post

When volunteer recruitment began for clinical trials of the rabies mRNA vaccine in 2013, it took 813 days to get 101 participants enrolled.

From Science News

It targets the rabies virus and was injected into human volunteers starting in 2013.

From Science News

The first version of the mRNA-based rabies vaccine prompted only a weak immune system response but did show that the technology was safe.

From Science News

Remember when everyone was shrieking at each other like wild banshees with rabies on those early seasons of The Real World?

From The Daily Beast

The critters resemble the gopher from Caddyshack… if it had rabies.

From The Daily Beast

Undead Monica Murphy and Bill Wasik, Wired The rabies virus remains a medical mystery.

From The Daily Beast

On a special episode of The Tyra Banks Show, Tyra dabbles in some dark comedy by pretending to have rabies.

From The Daily Beast

An anthem to her rear, an interrogation of Levi Johnston, fake rabies.

From The Daily Beast

To-day men of science are trying to conquer the horrors of cancer and smallpox, and rabies and consumption.

From Project Gutenberg

Rabies or hydrophobia is a disease which claims a certain number of victims every year in our large cities.

From Project Gutenberg

Raby Castle on the brain would soon become a sort of Rabies.

From Project Gutenberg

But he had tasted blood, and the rabies of setting straight the scientific world, for its own good, was upon him.

From Project Gutenberg

Assuming it to be a bite of rabies, minutes lost meant the terrible: Edwards bowed his head to that.

From Project Gutenberg