/ məˈleəriə; NAmE -ˈler-/ noun
[ U ] a disease that causes fever and shivering (= shaking of the body) caused by the bite of some types of mosquito
► mal·ar·ial / -iəl; NAmE / adjective :
malarial insects / patients / regions
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WORD ORIGIN
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.