distemper

distemper

 [dis-tem´per]

a name for several infectious diseases of animals, especially canine distemper, a highly fatal viral disease of dogs, marked by fever, loss of appetite, and a discharge from the nose and eyes.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

distemper

(dĭs-tĕm′pər)

n.

1. Any of various infectious diseases of animals, especially:

a. canine distemper.

b. feline panleukopenia.

2. An illness or disease; an ailment: "He died ... of a broken heart, a distemper which kills many more than is generally imagined" (Henry Fielding).

3. Ill humor; testiness.

4. Disorder or disturbance, especially of a social or political nature.

tr.v. distem·pered, distem·pering, distem·pers

1. To put out of order.

2. Archaic To unsettle; derange.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

dis·tem·per

(dis-tem'pĕr)

The colloquial usage for canine distemper caused by an RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus, a member of the family Paramyxoviridae.

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012