intermittent fever

1 definition found

intermittent fever - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Intermittent \In`ter*mit"tent\, a. [L. intermittens, -entis, p.
     pr. of intermittere: cf. F. intermittent.]
     Coming and going at intervals; alternating; recurrent;
     periodic; as, an intermittent fever. --Boyle.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Intermittent fever (Med.), a disease with fever which
        recurs at certain intervals; -- applied particularly to
        fever and ague. See Fever.
  
     Intermittent gearing (Mach.), gearing which receives, or
        produces, intermittent motion.
  
     Intermittent springs, springs which flow at intervals, not
        apparently dependent upon rain or drought. They probably
        owe their intermittent action to their being connected
        with natural reservoirs in hills or mountains by passages
        having the form of a siphon, the water beginning to flow
        when it has accumulated so as to fill the upper part of
        the siphon, and ceasing when, by running through it, it
        has fallen below the orifice of the upper part of the
        siphon in the reservoir.
        [1913 Webster]