febrifuge

See also: fébrifuge

English

Etymology

From French fébrifuge, from Latin febrifugus. Doublet of feverfew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛbɹɪfjuːd͡ʒ/
• Hyphenation: feb‧ri‧fuge

Noun

febrifuge (plural febrifuges)

1. (pharmacology) Synonym of antipyretic (“a fever-reducing medication”)

   Synonyms: (obsolete) alexipyretic, antifebrile

   • 1734, William Stukeley, Of the Gout, J. Roberts, page 19:

     ...therein it differs not from the mode of operation, which we observe in the famous peruvian febrifuge.

   • 1919, Christopher Morley, The Haunted Bookshop‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, →OCLC, page 20:

     Ah, my boy, you forget the card index! Librarians invented that soothing device for the febrifuge of their souls...

   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1131:

     And, by goodness, the door was ajar into the hall, for Constance had slipped out to the nearest pharmacy in search of a febrifuge for her fever-bound lover.