fever

Where does the word "fever" come from? It comes from Latin febris, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Fever’s story begins in Latin: febris meant “fever.” Perhaps related to 'fovere', to warm. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as fievre. Reinforced an Old English borrowing 'fefor'. It reached English by 1200s as fever. 'fever pitch' dates from the 1900s. Today, fever means an abnormally high body temperature.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient febris "fever", perhaps related to 'fovere', to warm.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval fievre "fever", reinforced an Old English borrowing 'fefor'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s fever "high temperature", 'fever pitch' dates from the 1900s.