defervescence
/ˌdɛfəˈvɛsəns/
defervescence · noun — the departure or subsiding of a fever. It carries an Arena rating of 1643, earned across 67 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, defervescence ranks #2,352 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words, #3,903 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #4,140 of 17,166 for Most Vivid Words, #4,242 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words.
defervescence is pronounced /ˌdɛfəˈvɛsəns/.
Why “defervescence” is a great word
DEFERVESCENCE — [Noun] The abatement or subsiding of a fever, as indicated by a return to normal body temperature. From Latin dēfervēscere ("to grow cool, cease boiling"), from dē- ("down from, away") + fervescere ("to begin to boil, grow hot"). Unlike "febricity," which denotes the static state of having a fever, or "lysis," which describes the broad, gradual decline of a disease, defervescence is the specific, merciful process of cooling. It is the damp cloth on a forehead gone suddenly clammy, the soaked bedsheets kicked away in the first shiver of relief, and the slow, steady descent of a mercury column—the body’s quiet declaration that its inner fire has finally burned itself out.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Latin defervescere (“to grow cool”).
noun
- The departure or subsiding of a fever.e.g.“Endogenous interleukin-10 is required for the defervescence of fever evoked by local lipopolysaccharide-induced and Staphylococcus aureus-induced inflammation in rats.” — 2003, Cartmell et al., J Physiol. 2003;549.2:653–664
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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