1. 疟疾：一种传染病，流行于非洲、亚洲、中美、南美、大洋洲、加勒比海的某些岛和土耳其，由疟原虫属(Plasmodium)的恶性疟原虫(P.falciparum)、三日疟原虫(P.malariae)、卵形疟原虫(P.ovale)或间日疟原虫(P.vivax)引起，通常由感染的按蚊叮咬传播，其特征为发作性高热、寒战、出汗、贫血和脾肿大；发作的间隔取决于体内新一代寄生虫发育所需的时间。初次发病后可成为慢性或复发性的过程。另见transfusion m.
mid 18th cent.: from Italian, from mal'aria, contracted form of mala aria 'bad air'. The term originally denoted the unwholesome atmosphere caused by the exhalations of marshes, to which the disease was formerly attributed
