quartan
/ˈkwɔrtən/
noun
- A fever that recurs every fourth day.
- The physician recognized the symptoms as a quartan and began treatment.
- The old man suffered from a quartan that returned like clockwork.
- In tropical regions, quartans were once a common illness.
adjective
- Relating to a fever that recurs every fourth day (counting the day of the fever as the first day).
- The doctor noted the quartan pattern of the fever and prescribed treatment accordingly.
- The patient was diagnosed with quartan malaria, which caused fevers every 72 hours.
- In historical medical texts, quartan fevers were often described as less severe than other types.