noun
Usage: usually capitalized Q
Etymology: q from initial letter of query
: a disease somewhat like but much milder than typhus that is characterized by high fever, chills, and pains in the muscles and is commonly accompanied by an atypical pneumonia, that is caused by a microorganism ( Coxiella burnetii ) apparently widespread in ruminants and transmitted by raw milk, by contact, or by ticks, and that is widely distributed in No. America, Europe, and parts of Africa