— malarial, malarian, malarious , adj.
/meuh lair"ee euh/ , n.
1. Pathol. any of a group of diseases, usually intermittent or remittent, characterized by attacks of chills, fever, and sweating: formerly supposed to be due to swamp exhalations but now known to be caused by a parasitic protozoan, which is transferred to the human bloodstream by a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and which occupies and destroys red blood cells.
2. Archaic. unwholesome or poisonous air.
[ 1730-40; mala aria bad air ]