febrifuge

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See also: fébrifuge

English

Etymology

From French fébrifuge, from Latin febrifugus. Doublet of feverfew. Source of -fuge.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɛbɹɪfjuːd͡ʒ/
  • Hyphenation: feb‧ri‧fuge

Noun

febrifuge (plural febrifuges)

  1. (pharmacology) Synonym of antipyretic (a fever-reducing medication)
    Synonyms: (obsolete) alexipyretic, antifebrile
    • 1734, William Stukeley, Of the Gout, J. Roberts, page 19:
      ...therein it differs not from the mode of operation, which we observe in the famous peruvian febrifuge.
    • 1919, Christopher Morley, The Haunted Bookshop, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, →OCLC, page 20:
      Ah, my boy, you forget the card index! Librarians invented that soothing device for the febrifuge of their souls...
    • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1131:
      And, by goodness, the door was ajar into the hall, for Constance had slipped out to the nearest pharmacy in search of a febrifuge for her fever-bound lover.