n.
An acute infectious disease characterized by chills and fever, caused by the microorganism Rickettsia quintana and transmitted by the louse Pediculus humanus.
[From its occurrence among soldiers in trenches.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
