Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A mild viral disease occurring mainly in early childhood, characterized by fever, a rosy-red rash on the cheeks that often spreads to the trunk and limbs, and usually arthritis and malaise.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pathology The
manifestation asrashes of a particularviral infection .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[From its being fifth in frequency of rash-producing childhood diseases.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Historically classified as the fifth of the classical childhood skin rashes or exanthems, after measles, scarlet fever, rubella, and Dukes' disease.
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oroboros commented on the word fifth disease
"Slapped cheek syndrome" (from red rash on cheeks) a mild viral disease (fifth in frequency of rash-producing maladies in early childhood).
August 9, 2009
sionnach commented on the word fifth disease
I dunno. Sounds suspiciously like Munchausen's by proxy to me.
August 9, 2009
dontcry commented on the word fifth disease
No, it's real. Apparently, after naming 4 different kinds of rashes/diseases kids could get, this was the best they could do for number 5. If I'm remembering correctly, a pregnant woman should avoid contact with a child with fifth's disease. Easier said than done if that child happens to be one of hers...
August 9, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word fifth disease
Also because it's kind of hard to tell when someone has fifth disease, other than the rosy cheeks, because they could just be, you know, rosy cheeks, or sunburn, or maybe the kid's overheated or whatever. At least, I couldn't tell when my spawn had it till the doctor told me.
August 10, 2009